As you also learned in this chapter, database technologies are constantly evolving to address new challenges such as
large databases, semistructured and unstructured data, increasing processing speed, and lowering costs. While database
technologies can change quickly, the fundamental concepts and skills do not. It is our goal that after you learn the
database essentials in this book, you will be ready to apply your knowledge and skills to work with traditional OLTP and
OLAP systems as well as cutting-edge, complex database technologies such as: