This text is designed for an introductory course in database management. Such a

course is usually required as part of an information systems curriculum in business

schools, computer technology programs, and applied computer science departments.

The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Association for

Computing Machinery (ACM), and International Federation of Information

Processing Societies (IFIPS) curriculum guidelines (for example, IS 97) all outline this

type of database management course. Previous editions of our text have been used

successfully for more than a decade at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,

as well as in management and professional development programs.

This text represents an extensive revision and updating of the fourth edition of

Modern Database Management. These revisions are necessary to accommodate the

technical, managerial, and methodological changes occurring at m~ ever-increasing

pace in this field. However, we have endeavored to retain the best features of our pre-

vious editions. We have made every effort to justify the title Modern Database

Management, which was introduced in the fourth edition.

In this fifth edition we welcome a third co-author, Mary Prescott of the

University of South Florida. Mary has served both as a reviewer and user of the pre-

vious editions of our text in numerous database courses and professional develop-

ment programs. She brings valuable new insights to the preparation of a new edition

of this text.