Readings in Database Systems

Readings in Database Systems is a respected collection of papers on database research, now in its fifth edition. Edited by Peter Bailis, Joseph M. Hellerstein, and Michael Stonebraker, three leaders in the database research community, it has been informing the field on both classic and cutting-edge topics for over 30 years.

Recommend for: The intended audience includes students, researchers and practitioners seeking reliable guidance on technical concepts and trends in databases. While not comprehensive, it offers a useful introduction with some prior database knowledge recommended. Comments and questions can be directed to primary editor Peter Bailis. The book aims to ground readers in both established principles and evolving ideas in the field.

You will:

Learn about foundational database topics like query processing and transaction management
Explore emerging areas of research such as cloud databases, data integration and large-scale analytics
Gain knowledgeable perspectives on new database architectures and programming models
Revisit seminal papers to reinforce database principles amid changing technology contexts
Reference a respected collection on database research updated after over a decade

Detailed overview

Readings in Database Systems, commonly referred to as the “Red Book” owing to its distinctive crimson cover, has been sharing enlightening perspectives on the progress of database research since 1988. Approaching its third decade of informing the community, this latest fifth edition marks the first update to the publication in over 10 years.

The book delves into foundational aspects of data management systems, exploring traditional relational architectures alongside contemporary innovations in new database designs. Additional core topics examined include query processing optimizations, language mechanisms for structuring data, and frameworks for extracting intelligence from stored collections.

Looking beyond these foundations, the Red Book also casts a lens on modern technical frontiers. Its coverage includes emergent domains like approaches for managing web-scale data volumes, interactive analytics over massive datasets, and techniques for integrating heterogeneous sources of information across enterprises.

Across 12 dedicated survey chapters, top researchers in both industrial and academic database research spheres contribute comprehensive analyses of diverse technical areas. In addition to newly commissioned essays on actively advancing fields, select chapters revisit seminal earlier works to reinforce enduring principles as technology contexts evolve.

Freely available in HTML and PDF formats on the Web, the contents of the Red Book are readily accessible by students, practitioners and the technical community at large. Prior editions are likewise referenceable to detect long-term trends. Now in its fifth installment, the publication remains a vital reference on the state of the science after three decades of informing technical understanding in databases.

Citation

Bailis, P., Hellerstein, J. M., & Stonebraker, M. (2022). Readings in database systems (5th ed.). http://www.redbook.io

Licensing

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 License. The full text of the license is available at Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.