INFORMATION

MANAGEMENT
Lesson 3: Database
Development Process
 UNIT OBJECTIVE
After studying this course, you should be able to:
a. Describe the key points of the waterfall model applied
to database development
b. Appreciate the roles of various development artefacts,
such as the data requirements document, conceptual
data model and such like used to communicate
between activities in the database development life
cycle
c. Understand 3 tierschema/architecture
d. Define: Data independence, instance and schema
 Introduction

Database development normally

occurs within the context of information
systems development. Information
systems development is a key
organisational process for many
organisations (Beynon-Davies, 2002).
Desirable Properties of a Database
Database Development Life Cycle

Database development is just one

part of the much wider field of software
engineering, the process of developing
and maintaining software.
SDLC and DBLC
3 assumptions based on the model

●We can separate the development of

a database – that is, specification and
creation of a schema to define data in
a database – from the user processes
that make use of the database.
3 assumptions based on the model

●We can use the three-schema

architecture as a basis for
distinguishing the activities associated
with a schema.
3 assumptions based on the model

●We can represent the constraints to

enforce the semantics of the data
once, within a database, rather than
within every user process that uses
the data.
 Requirements Gathering
●The data requirements document is
used to agree requirements with
users.
●The document should give a concise
summary of all users' requirements –
not just a collection of individuals'
requirements – as the intention is to
develop a single shared database.
Example
 Analysis
●Data analysis begins with the statement of
data requirements and then produces a
conceptual data model.
●The aim of analysis is to obtain a detailed
description of the data that will suit user
requirements so that both high and low
level properties of data and their use are
dealt with.
 Analysis
●A conceptual data model is concerned with
the meaning and structure of data, but not
with the details affecting how they are
implemented.
●The conceptual data model then is a formal
representation of what data a database
should contain and the constraints the data
must satisfy.
 Analysis
●Analysis focuses on ‘What is required?’ not
‘How is it achieved?’
●The aim of analysis is to obtain a detailed
description of the data that will suit user
requirements so that both high and low
level properties of data and their use are
dealt with.
 Analysis
The following are the steps in the Analysis
Phase.

1. Analyze the organization

2. Define any problems, possibilities or
constraints
3. Define the objectives
4. Agree on the scope
 Example
●In our previous example
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
 Design
●Database design starts with a conceptual data
model and produces a specification of a logical
schema; this will usually determine the specific
type of database system (network, relational,
object-oriented) that is required, but not the
detailed implementation of that design (which will
depend on the operating environment for the
database such as the specific DBMS available).
 Design
●The output of the design stage is a detailed
relational specification, the logical schema, of all
the tables and constraints needed to satisfy the
description of the data in the conceptual data
model.
 3 General Points basis for Design
●First, for a given conceptual data model it is not
necessary that all the user requirements it
represents have to be satisfied by a single
database.
●Second, remember that one of the assumptions
about our database development is that we can
separate the development of a database from the
development of user processes that make use of
it.
 3 General Points basis for Design
●Third, at a detailed level, many aspects of
database design and implementation depend on
the particular DBMS being used.
 Design
This phase consists of three parts: the conceptual
design, the logical design and the physical design.

a. Conceptual - The purpose of the conceptual

design phase is to build a conceptual model based
upon the previously identified requirements, but
closer to the final physical model. A commonly-
used conceptual model is called an entity-
relationship model.
 What is Data Model?

Source: Data Academy India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ9TpkWKyU0
Conceptual Data Model
 Design
This phase consists of three parts: the conceptual
design, the logical design and the physical design.

b. Logical - defines HOW the system should be

implemented regardless of the DBMS. This phase
is typically created by Data Architects and Business
Analysts. The purpose is to developed technical
map of rules and data structures.
Logical Data Model
 Design
This phase consists of three parts: the conceptual
design, the logical design and the physical design.

c. Physical - describes HOW the system will be

implemented using a specific DBMS system. This
model is typically created by DBA and developers.
The purpose is actual implementation of the
database.
Physical Data Model
 Implementation
●Implementation involves the construction of a
database according to the specification of a
logical schema. This will include the
specification of an appropriate storage schema,
security enforcement, external schema, and so
on. Implementation is heavily influenced by the
choice of available DBMS, database tools and
operating environment.
 Implementation
The following are steps in the implementation phase:

1. Install the DBMS.

2. Tune the setup variables according to the
hardware, software and usage conditions.
3. Create the database and tables.
4. Load the data.
5. Set up the users and security.
6. Implement the backup regime.
 Testing
●The aim of testing is to uncover errors in
the design and implementation of the
database, its structure, constraints and
associated user and management
support.
●Testing is usually considered to involve
two main tasks – validation and
verification.
 Testing
● Validation answers the question: has
the right database been developed to
meet the requirements?
● It attempts to confirm that the right
database has been constructed, with
the right characteristics to meet the
specified requirements.
 Testing
● Verification answers the question: has the
database design been implemented correctly?
● Verification ensures that the processing steps,
constraints and other ‘programmed’
components of the database (security,
backup, recovery, audit trails, etc.) have been
correctly implemented and contain no errors
in program logic or execution sequences.
 Testing
The following are the steps in the testing phase:

1. Test the performance

2. Test the security
3. Test the data integrity
4. Fine-tune the parameters or modify the logical
or physical designs in response to the tests.
 Maintenance
● Databases are one of the more enduring
software engineering artefacts; it is not
uncommon to find database implementations
whose use can be traced back for 15 years or
more.
● Consequently, maintenance of the database
is a key issue.
 Maintenance
3 Forms of Maintenance:
● Operational maintenance, where the
performance of the database is monitored.
● Porting and implementation maintenance,
in which the DBMS, the user processes, the
underlying computer system or some other
aspect undergoes changes that require the
database implementation to be revised.
 Maintenance
3 Forms of Maintenance:
● Requirements change, where the original
requirement specification changes, usually
because databases are frequently used for
purposes for which they were not originally
designed.
 Maintenance
The following are the steps in the maintenance
phase:

1. Maintain the indexes

2. Maintain the tables
3. Maintain the users
4. Change passwords
5. Backup
6. Restore backups
7. Change the design to meet new requirements
 3 Tier Architecture
●The main objective of this architecture is
to have an effective separation between
the user interface and the physical
database. So, the user never has to be
concerned regarding the internal storage
of the database and it has a simplified
interaction with the database system.
 3 Tier Architecture
The three-schema architecture defines
the view of data at three levels:

●Physical level (internal level)

●Logical level (conceptual level)
●View level (external level)
3 Tier Architecture
 Database Architecture

Iprimed Athena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6P58yb-edE
 DBMS Architecture
The design of a DBMS depends on its
architecture. It can be centralized or
decentralized or hierarchical. The architecture of
a DBMS can be seen as either single tier or
multi-tier. An n-tier architecture divides the whole
system into related but independent n modules,
which can be independently modified, altered,
changed, or replaced.
 1 Tier Architecture
In 1-tier architecture, the DBMS is the only entity
where the user directly sits on the DBMS and
uses it. Any changes done here will directly be
done on the DBMS itself. It does not provide
handy tools for end-users. Database designers
and programmers normally prefer to use single-
tier architecture.
 2 Tier Architecture
If the architecture of DBMS is 2-tier, then it must
have an application through which the DBMS can
be accessed. Programmers use 2-tier
architecture where they access the DBMS by
means of an application. Here the application tier
is entirely independent of the database in terms
of operation, design, and programming.
 3 Tier Architecture

A 3-tier architecture separates

its tiers from each other based
on the complexity of the users
and how they use the data
present in the database. It is
the most widely used
architecture to design a DBMS.
 3 Tier Architecture
•Database (Data) Tier − At this tier, the database resides along
with its query processing languages. We also have the relations
that define the data and their constraints at this level.

•Application (Middle) Tier − At this tier reside the application

server and the programs that access the database. For a user, this
application tier presents an abstracted view of the database. End-
users are unaware of any existence of the database beyond the
application. At the other end, the database tier is not aware of any
other user beyond the application tier. Hence, the application layer
sits in the middle and acts as a mediator between the end-user and
the database.

•User (Presentation) Tier − End-users operate on this tier and

they know nothing about any existence of the database beyond this
layer. At this layer, multiple views of the database can be provided
by the application. All views are generated by applications that
reside in the application tier.
 What Do the 3 Tiers Mean?
•Presentation Tier- The presentation tier is the front end layer in
the 3-tier system and consists of the user interface. This user
interface is often a graphical one accessible through a web browser
or web-based application and which displays content and
information useful to an end user. This tier is often built on web
technologies such as HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, or through other
popular web development frameworks, and communicates with
others layers through API calls.
•Application Tier- The application tier contains the functional
business logic which drives an application’s core capabilities. It’s
often written in Java, .NET, C#, Python, C++, etc.
•Data Tier- The data tier comprises of the database/data storage
system and data access layer. Examples of such systems are
MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, etc.
Data is accessed by the application layer via API calls.
 Data Independence
Data independence defines the
extent to which the data schema
can be changed at one level
without modifying the data
schema at the next level.

Can be classified into (2) two:

● Logical Data Independence
● Physical Data Independence
 Data Independence
● Logical Data Independence - describes the
degree up to which the logical or conceptual
schema can be changed without modifying the
external schema.
● Changes to data schema at the logical level are
made either to enlarge or reduce the database
by adding or deleting more entities, entity sets,
or changing the constraints on data.
 Data Independence
● Physical Data Independence - defines the
extent up to which the data schema can be
changed at the physical or internal level without
modifying the data schema at logical and view
level.
● Physical schema is changed if we add additional
storage to the system or we reorganize some
files to enhance the retrieval speed of the
records.
 Instance
What is an instance?

An instance is the retrieval of information

from the database at a certain point of time.
An instance in a database keeps on changing
with time.
Any questions?