Here you will find references to web sites, books, papers,
standards, articles, and presentations that I have read and I
think you may find of interest. Sometimes I make some comment
about the content and why I found it interesting. The references
are grouped in broad categories:
This is an initial somewhat incomplete version.
Information
Management
Information management is the broader discipline within which
the data modelling that is my speciality lies. Here more general
publications, related to e.g. information quality and broad issues
are found.
Ong, W.J. Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the
word Methuen, 1988, ISBN 0-415-02796-9
 | A brilliant book that takes the long view on information
- from the start of speech, through hand writing, to printing
and the computer. In particular it looks at how the changing
technology affects and supports information.
|
Marchand, D.A., Kettinger, W.J., Rollins, J.D. Information
Orientation: The link to business performance, Oxford
University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-19-925221-1
| This book demonstrates that successful implementation of
information management requires a mixture of soft and hard issues
to be addressed, based on an examination of how business leaders
perceive the link between information management and business
performance. If you want to know why your project is failing,
you may find what you are missing in here.
|
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Data Modelling
This is my home territory. These are useful references, or
books I found interesting.
Simsion, G.C. Witt, G.C. Data Modeling Essentials (third edition),
Morgan Kaufmann 2005
| This is an excellent book on data modelling from a traditional
(non-ontological) perspective, with a good treatment of normalization
(including 6th Normal Form) |
Kent, W. Data and reality: basic assumptions in data processing
reconsidered North Holland, 1978, ISBN 0-444-85187-9
| This is a seminal work on what the key issues are in data
modelling and database design. In EPISTLE I think we pretty much
have answers to the questions he poses, but even today more than
20 years after the book was written, that is rare.
|
Barker, Richard CASE*METHOD Entity Relationship Modelling
Addison Wesley 1989
| An excellent text to introduce data modelling techniques and good
practice in general and the Oracle data modelling notation in
particular (though I dislike their requirement that subtypes be
mutually exclusive). |
Hay, David. C. Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought
New York: Dorset House, 1996
| A collection of data model patterns for business. So much better
than a blank piece of paper! Builds on David Barker's book above. |
Hay, David. C. Data Model Patterns: A Metadata Map Morgan
Kaufmann, 2006
| A collection of data model patterns for an Enterprise Architecture
based loosely on the Zachmann Framework. |
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Metaphysics
Metphysics is the study of the nature of things, and as such
is obviously important for data modelling. The next section,
ontology, is really a branch of metaphysics. Under metaphysics
I put publications that are mostly talking in plain language
about key concepts. Under ontology I put documents where the
emphasis is on formalisation of concepts using First Order Logic.
There is naturally some overlap between these.
Kim, J., Sosa E. Metaphysics: an anthology Blackwell,
1999, ISBN 0-631-20279-X
| A collection of papers and excerpts, mostly from work of
the last century, in metaphysics. A good place to get a sense
of some of the range of thought and rate of progress.
|
Kim, J., Sosa, E. A companion to metaphysics, Blackwell,
1995, ISBN 0-631-19999-3
| A useful resource for tracking down difficult terms or get
a synopsis of great philosophers.
|
Hawley, Katherine How things persist Oxford: Clarendon
Press 2001
| A thoughtful comparison of some metaphysical choices and their
consequences, particularly comparing 3D and 4D approaches. |
Sider, Theodore Four Dimensionalism - An Ontology of Persistence
and Time 2001 Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-926352-3
| This is an authoritative exposition of the four dimensionalist
viewpoint. For the major metaphysical choices that can be made,
either within a 3D (we wholly exist at each point in time, and
move through time, and hence do not have temporal parts) or 4D
(we are extended in both space and time, have temporal parts,
and only a temporal slice of us exists now) world viewpoint he
examines the possibilities and present arguments for a 4D approach
and against a 3D approach.
|
Wittgenstein, L. Tractatus logico-philosophicus Routledge, 1921,
ISBN 0-415-02825-6
| A classic text in philosophy, translated in this edition
by Pears and McGuinness.
|
Searle,
J.R. The construction of social reality 1995 Penguin Books ISBN-13:
978-0-14-023590-6
| A
well argued presentation of the ontology of things that are the
creation of man's mind, like money and companies. |
Lewis,
David On the Plurality of Worlds 1986. Oxford & New York: Basil
Blackwell ISBN
0-631-13994-X
| The
standard text on possible worlds |
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Logic and Mathematics
Logic and mathematics are the foundation for ontology. Here
you find publications on First Order Logic, set theory, category
theory and other such subjects.
Hodges, W. Logic: an introduction to elementary logic
Penguin Books, 1977,
ISBN 0-14-013636-3
| If you are completely new to the study of logic, start here.
A very approachable book on the basics of logic.
|
Sowa, J.F. Knowledge Representation: logical, philosophical
and computational foundations Brooks/Cole
- Thomson Learning, 2000, ISBN 0-534-94965-7
| This book is encyclopedic in its content and touches on
most of the key aspects of logic and mathematics relevant to
ontology. If you only have one book in this area, this should
be it. Gives good references for further reading.
|
Hunter, G. Metalogic: an introduction to the metatheory
of standard first order logic University
of California Press, 1971, ISBN 0-520-02356
| First Order Logic is challenging. This is one of the more
approachable books on the subject.
|
Enderton, H. A mathematical introduction to logic Academic Press, 1972,
ISBN 0-12-238450-4
| This is wideley considered to be THE standard work on First
Order Logic. I find it thorough, but very hard work.
|
Suppes, P. Axiomatic set theory Dover
Publications Inc, 1972, ISBN 0-486-61630-4
| This is an undergraduate text on axiomatic (principally Zermello-Fraenkel)
set theory. I am not keen on "standard" set theory,
but it is where most people are today, so you should understand
it. Set theory in general is widely used as a foundation for
the rest of mathematics. My own view is that standard set theory
is a panic reaction to Russel's Paradox in not allowing sets
to be members of themselves.
|
Aczel, P. Non-well-founded sets CSLI
Publications, 1988, ISBN 0-937973-22-9
| This is the standard text on non-well-founded-set theory,
i.e. a theory that allows sets to be members of themselves. This
is the form of set theory that I favour.
|
Lawvere, F.W., Schanuel, S.H. Conceptual mathematics: a
first introduction to categories Cambridge
University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-521-47817-0
| Category theory is not, as the name might suggest, about
classifying things. I think category theory is perhaps best described
as the mathematics of functions. It is considered to be an alternative
to set theory as a foundation for mathematics.
|
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Ontology
Ontology is that part of metaphysics that deals with the formal
representation of concepts and theories about the "world",
usually using some flavour of First Order Logic. Ontology can
also be seen as the next step from data modelling in representing
the world formally.
Simons, P. Parts: a study in ontology, Oxford
University Press, 1987, ISBN 0-19-924146-5
| This is the seminal work on mereology (the study of whole
and part). Seeing how complex this could be if a continuant based
approach to individuals was adopted helped to convince me that
a spatio-temporal approach was worth persevering with.
|
Partridge, C. Business objects: re-engineering for re-use,
Butterworth-Heinemann, (second edition)
2005, The Boro Centre
| This is a challenging but important book that explains how
a spatio-temporal approach to representing the world works. It
also gives much of the philosophical background to the approach.
This book, or more particularly its author, persauded me to look
into the spatio-temporal approach.
|
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Management
Management is something we all have to do and put up with,
even if we would rather not. Here are some publications that
have helped to lighten the load for me.
Machiavelli, N. The Prince Penguin
Books, 1961, ISBN 0-14-044107-7
| Machiavelli is much maligned. He only tells it how it is
when it comes to the exercise of power, though it might put you
off wishing to have power. His principles naturally translate
into the modern era.
|
Adams, S. The Dilbert principle Boxtree
- Macmillan Publishers, 1997, ISBN 0-7522-2479-0
| The Dilbert Principle tells it how it is, and makes you laugh
about it. It does also say a few words about how it should be.
|
Adams, S. Dogbert's top secret management handbook
Boxtree - Macmillan Publishers,
1996, ISBN 0-7522-1148-X
| This book is a catalogue of bad practice. A good idea is
to check you are not doing any of these things. It can also help
you to spot bad practive when you see it.
|
Working for customers Confederation
of British Industry, 1983, ISBN 0-85201-284-5
| This short book can be an eye opener on how business should
be conducted in a customer focusses way, rather than the organisation
centric way that is sometimes still found.
|
Allen, R.E. Winnie-the-Pooh on Management Methuen,
1995, ISBN 0-413-69720-7
| This book looks at every day management and is about doing
the basics right, i.e. the things that are within your control.
These are illustrated by experiences from that well known management
guru, Winnie-the-Pooh.
|
Blanchard & Johnson The one minute manager HarperCollins
Business, ISBN 0-00-636753-4
| A seminal work on how to manage and delegate without micro-managing,
and hence release your own time, and both utilise and motivate
those working for you.
|
Johnson, S. The one minute sales person HarperCollins
Business, 1994, ISBN 0-00-637015-2
| We all have to sell, but few people know how to. This book
can help you to understand what you need to do and why.
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