Many applications revolve around data storage within relational databases.
The book is well presented, with well-commented code. It is closely focused on showing how the Java developer can access a relational database such as Oracle. Each subject is gently introduced and explained in a way that makes it all seem very simple, this in itself is quite an achievement. This theme is then extended into the distributed database arena and RMI is blended into the mix of subjects. At around two hundred pages it is quite surprising that the author has managed to pack in so much focused information.