This is a start-to-finish decision-maker's guide to making the most of database technology: from selecting the right product through optimizing performance, and beyond. In non-technical, highly accessible language, this book helps business decision-makers master all the database strategies, applications, principles, and paradigms they need to understand -- regardless of their previous experience with databases. Managers will discover where databases fit in the enterprise and in the IT infrastructure; how databases can best be architected to meet changing business requirements; and how to compare and choose among competitive offerings. Then, they'll walk step-by-step through the database development process, learning project management techniques that deliver maximum business value in the shortest time. "A Manager's Guide to Database Technology" even includes detailed briefings on the latest advances in the field, including distributed and object-oriented databases.