True to its title, this book has an excellent section on database design, particularly as it pertains to Microsoft Access. However, I found it particularly frustrating when none of the code examples in the book worked with my databases. When I read Balter's "Mastering Microsoft Access 2000 Develoment", also available at Amazon, I found out why. DAO has been replaced by ADO. This book covers DAO first, and mentions only later. I spent five days trying to get DAO to work and failed. I am so glad I had my other Access book to steer me straight.The great introduction to relational databases is useful, but you could glean the same information from Hernandez's "Database Design for Mere Mortals" and it would apply to all DBMSes.I hate to give an O'Reilly book a bad review, but this one didn't meet my expectations. It is advertised to apply to Access versions 97-2002, but I don't think it is as up-to-date as some of the other books on the market.