Database Users (Actors on Scene, Workers behind the scene):

 The Database Users Interact with database users can be classified into two types.

 Actors on Scene
 Workers behind the scene

DATABASE ACTORS ON THE SCENE:

 Individuals whose positions include the everyday utilization of a huge data set are called
as the actors on the scene.
 Database Administrators
 Database Designers
 End Users
 System Analysts and Application Programmers (Software
Engineers)
Database Administrators:
 In a database environment, the primary resource is the database itself, and the
secondary resource is the DBMS and related software.
 The DBA is responsible for authorizing access to the database, coordinating and
monitoring its use, and acquiring software and hardware resources as needed
Database Designers:
 Database designers are responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the database
and for choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data.
 It is the responsibility of database designers to communicate with all prospective
database users in order to understand their requirements and to create a design that
meets these requirements.
End Users:
 End users are the people whose jobs require access to the database for querying,
updating, and generating reports; the database primarily exists for their use
 There are a few classes of end users.
 Casual end users
 Naive or parametric end users
 Sophisticated end users
 Standalone Users
 System Analysts and Application Programmers (Software
Engineers)
Casual end users:
  Occasionally access the database, but they may need different information each time
they use a sophisticated database query interface to specify their requests and are
typically middle- or high-level managers or other occasional browser.

Naive or parametric end users:

 Make up a sizable portion of database end users their main job function revolves around
constantly querying and updating the database, using standard types of queries and
updates (called canned transactions) that have been carefully programmed and tested.
Sophisticated End Users:
 Include engineers, scientists, business analysts, and others who thoroughly familiarize
themselves with the facilities of the DBMS in order to implement their own applications
to meet their complex requirements.
Standalone Users:
 The Category of end users Maintain personal databases by using ready-made program
packages that provide easy-to-use menu-based or graphics-based interfaces.
 An example is the user of a financial software package that stores a variety of personal
financial data
System Analysts and Application Programmers (Software Engineers):
 System analysts determine the requirements of end users, especially naive and
parametric end users, and develop specifications for standard canned transactions that
meet these requirements.
 Application programmers implement these specifications as programs; then they test,
debug, document, and maintain these canned transactions Such analysts and
programmers (commonly referred to as software developers or software engineers)
should be familiar with the full range of capabilities provided by the DBMS to
accomplish their tasks.
WORKERS BEHIND THE SCENE:
 In addition to those who design, use, and administer a database, others are associated
with the design, development, and operation of the DBMS software and
system environment.
 These persons are typically not interested in the database content itself. We call them
the workers behind the scene, and they include the following categories:
 DBMS system designers and implementers
  Tool developers
 Operators & maintenance personnel

DBMS system designers and implementers:

 DBMS system designers and implementers design and implement the DBMS modules
and interfaces as a software package.
 A DBMS is a very complex software system that consists of many components, or
modules, including modules for implementing the catalog, query language processing,
interface processing, accessing and buffering data, controlling concurrency, and
handling data recovery and security.
Tool developers:
 Design and implement tools of the software packages that facilitate database modeling
and design, database system design, and improved performance.
Operators & maintenance personnel:
 Are responsible for the actual running and maintenance of the hardware and software
environment for the database system.

Advantages of Database systems:

 A Database Management System (DBMS) is defined as the software system that allows
users to define, create, maintain and control access to the database.
 DBMS makes it possible for end users to create, read, update and delete data in
database.
 It is a layer between programs and data.
 The Advantages of DBMS are given below as

 Reducing Data Redundancy

 Sharing of Data
 Data Integrity
 Data Security
 Privacy
 Backup and Recovery
 Data Consistency

Reducing Data Redundancy:

 The file based data management systems contained multiple files that were stored in
many different locations in a system or even across multiple systems.
  Because of this, there were sometimes multiple copies of the same file which lead to
data redundancy.
 This is prevented in a database as there is a single database and any change in it is
reflected immediately.
 Because of this, there is no chance of encountering duplicate data.
Sharing of Data:
 In a database, the users of the database can share the data among themselves.
 There are various levels of authorization to access the data, and consequently the data
can only be shared based on the correct authorization protocols being followed.
 Many remote users can also access the database simultaneously and share the data
between themselves.
Data Integrity:
 Data integrity means that the data is accurate and consistent in the database.
 Data Integrity is very important as there are multiple databases in a DBMS.
 All of these databases contain data that is visible to multiple users. So it is necessary to
ensure that the data is correct and consistent in all the databases and for all the users.
Data Security:
 Data Security is vital concept in a database. Only authorized users should be allowed to
access the database and their identity should be authenticated using a username and
password.
 Unauthorized users should not be allowed to access the database under any
circumstances as it violates the integrity constraints.
Privacy:
 The privacy rule in a database means only the authorized users can access a database
according to its privacy constraints.
 There are levels of database access and a user can only view the data he is allowed to.
 For example - In social networking sites, access constraints are different for different
accounts a user may want to access.

Backup and Recovery:

 Database Management System automatically takes care of backup and recovery.
 The users don't need to backup data periodically because this is taken care of by the
DBMS. Moreover, it also restores the database after a crash or system failure to its
previous condition.
Data Consistency:
 Data consistency is ensured in a database because there is no data redundancy.
  All data appears consistently across the database and the data is same for all the users
viewing the database.
 Moreover, any changes made to the database are immediately reflected to all the users
and there is no data inconsistency.

Database applications:
 The following are the various kinds of applications/organizations uses databases for
their business processing activities in their day-to-day life. They are:

 Banking
 Airlines
 Universities
 Credit Card Transactions
 Telecommunication
 Finance
 Sales
 Manufacturing
 Human resources
 Railway Reservation Systems
 Web
 E–Commerce
Banking:
 For customer information, accounts, and loans, and banking transactions.
Airlines:
 For reservations and schedule information. Airlines were among the first to use
databases in ageographically distributed manner—terminals situated around the world
accessed the central database system through phone lines and other data networks.
Universities:
 For student information, course registrations, and grades.
Credit Card Transactions:
 For purchases on credit cards and generation of monthly statements.
Telecommunication:
 For keeping records of calls made, generating monthly bills, maintaining balances on
prepaid calling cards, and storing information about the communication networks.
Finance:
 For storing information about holdings, sales, and purchases of financial instruments
such as stocks and bonds.
Sales:
 For customer, product, and purchase information.
Manufacturing:
 For management of supply chain and for tracking production of items in factories,
inventories of items in warehouses/stores, and orders for items.
Human resources:
 For information about employees, salaries, payroll taxes and benefits, and for
generation of paychecks.
Railway Reservation Systems:
 For reservations and schedule information.
Web:
 For access the Back accounts and to get the balance amount.
E–Commerce:
 For Buying a book or music CD and browse for things like watches, mobiles from the
Internet.