The efficient management of consistent and integrated databases is a central task in modern IT, crucial for both science and industry. This book addresses the fundamental challenges of providing database functionality within the Database as a Service (DBaaS) paradigm for database outsourcing. It explores the motivations behind cloud computing, its impact on data outsourcing, and its role in service-oriented computing for data-intensive applications. The text covers current cloud environment support techniques, major challenges, and future trends, offering a survey of techniques and special requirements for building database services.

This book is positioned as a technical exploration of web-scale data management within the cloud computing context, specifically addressing the DBaaS paradigm. The content suggests a focus on the technical and architectural challenges inherent in providing outsourced database services. It likely appeals to IT professionals, database administrators, and researchers interested in the intersection of cloud infrastructure and data management, offering insights into current practices and future directions in the field.