Data and Reality—A Timeless Perspective on Perceiving and Managing Information in Our Imprecise World

Let's step back to the year 1978. Sony introduces hip portable music with the Walkman, Illinois Bell Company releases the first mobile phone, Space Invaders kicks off the video game craze, and William Kent writes Data and Reality. We have made amazing progress in the last four decades in terms of portable music, mobile communication, and entertainment, making devices such as the original Sony Walkman and suitcase-sized mobile phones museum pieces today. Yet remarkably, the book Data and Reality is just as relevant to the field of data management today as it was in 1978. Data and Reality gracefully weaves the disciplines of psychology and philosophy with data management to create timeless takeaways on how we perceive and manage information. Although databases and related technology have come a long way since 1978, the process of eliciting business requirements and how we think about information remains constant. This book will provide valuable insights whether you are a 1970s data-processing expert or a modern-day business analyst, data modeler, database administrator, or data architect.This third edition of Data and Reality differs substantially from the first and second editions. Data modeling thought leader Steve Hoberman has updated many of the original examples and references and added his commentary throughout the book, including key points at the end of each chapter. The important takeaways in this book are rich with insight yet presented in a conversational and easy-to-grasp writing style.

William Kent (1936-2005) was a renowned researcher in the field of data modeling. Author of Data and Reality, he wrote scores of papers and spoke at conferences worldwide, posing questions about database design and the management of information that remain unanswered today. Though he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's in mathematics, he had no formal training in computer science. Kent worked at IBM and later at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, where he helped develop prototype database systems. He also served on or chaired several international standards committees. Kent lived in New York City and later Menlo Park, Calif., before retiring to Moab, Utah, to pursue his passions of outdoor photography and protecting the environment.