Database Concepts Notes

CHAPTER 1: WHO NEEDS A DATABSE

What is a database?

A database is a collection of related data. (Are not always electronic) Also known as an
RDBMS;

Types of databases

1. Flat File Database

a. The simplest form of an electronic database. Usually consist of a file that

stores data in a structured way. *delimited file* is the most common type;
each piece of data is separated from the next piece by a “delimiter” (a comma
or a tab). Important to keep the same number of delimiters in each line for
them to be read correctly. *fixed-width data file*; all columns share a fixed
width in characters. Contain mainly redundant elements; repeating the same
data more than once. The main problem here is that when you need to change
data you have to do it each file that the subject is listed (table 1-1).
Spreadsheets are another type.

2. Hierarchical Databases

a. The most common type of databases before the relational model. They are
organized in a tree-like structure. Think of it as the windows filing system. It
can be a problem when it comes to comparing a piece of data from branch to
branch.

3. Relational Databases

a. The most popular type of database. Data is organized into tables, which
define the relationships among themselves by repeating an attribute or column
from one table in another table; known as “keys”. Has minimized data
redundancy. Helped solved the problem with relating data from one table to
another.

Purpose of a database: to keep track of things. (Orders, customers, students)

When it becomes more than one idea or thing you would want to use a database.

RDBMS (Relational Database Management System): allows organizations to conveniently

develop databases for various applications by DBAs.

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 4 main operations are:

1. Creating databases and entering data

2. Viewing and sorting data in the database

3. Querying and extracting data from the database

4. Outputting the data from the database

To identify major topics of a database you should:

1. Review all the information available on the subject

a. Can reveal how the information is gathered, used, and shared.

2. Identify the features of the potential database

a. Scope or domain of the database

3. Check if nouns cluster into themes (relate to same subject)

Creating an SOW

1. History- the review of the problem the database is meant to solve. May help with reviews
and consultants.

2. Scope- provides the range of the project. Should list the broad requirements.

3. Constraints- This lists things the project will not include.

4. Objectives- Used to clarify the purpose of the project. Lists why things are in the project.

5. Tasks and Timelines- preliminary timeline and tasks that should completed within that
timeline.

Statement of Scope

A statement of scope is a short statement of one or more paragraphs that says in clear
what the project will do.

Statement of Work

A statement of Work is a more complete statement about the objectives and timeline of
the project; often prepared by the people who want the work to be done. Good to be used as a
reference guide throughout the project.

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 CHAPTER 2: GATHERING INFORMATION

Gathering information

 Initial interviews with the managers or executives

o Should provide the overview of the database. What information is meant

to be handled?

 Review of business documents to identify data elements

o Business documents will have forms related to the data; will allow you to
know what kind of content your database will have.

 Interviews with the stakeholders

o Figure out who your stakeholders are. You want to interview with them to
get their perspective on the data that will be held in the database.

 Questionnaires

o In this step you get responses from more people than you would in the
interview stage.

 Work shadowing

o In this step you can observe the “flow” of the current system.

Reviewing Business Documents

Reviewing business documents can help you to know how and when information should
be used and in what sequence. It will also show what the database will need to contain. Two of
the most important documents are forms and reports.

 Form: A document, paper, or electronic that is used to gather information.

 Report: A document, paper, or electronic that is used to display a summary of

data.

 Procedures: Documents that describe the approved steps for completing some
business process.

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 Types of Databases

 Transaction Database

o A database that is optimized to keep track of transactions such as sales or

purchases in real time.

 Management Information System

o A database optimized for queries that return summary information about

transactions.

 Business Intelligence

o A set of tools for analyzing trends and patterns in business data.

 Data Mining

o Using business intelligence techniques on a variety of data sources brought

together in a data warehouse

 XML

o Marked up Unicode text that follows a few strict rules- increasingly used as a file
format for documents and data to be transferred.

Interviews

Interviews are excellent ways to gather information on what should be in the database.
Open-Ended questions are questions that don’t have a fixed answer and involve getting a
participant’s opinion or thoughts on a topic.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are best for “close-ended” questions. Closed-Ended questions are

Multiple-choice, true and false, and ranked-value questions-questions with a definite answer.
Questionnaires are typically quicker and easier to arrange than interviews.

Work Shadowing

It is important to see how the data that you are going to use in your database is used in a
daily business process. Also used to see how frequently something is used and its relative
importance.

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 CHAPTER 3: REQUIREMENTS AND BUSINESS RULES

Client/Server Relations

A Server is a program that makes a “Service” or resource available for a “Client” that
requests it. Some computers are called servers because they are optimized to run software. The
program that requests the information is called the client. (a web page or program or another
server)

Requirements

Something the database must do in order to meet the business needs of an organization.

 Data Requirements. This refers to the attributes the database must contain in
order to store all the information an organization needs for its activities.

 Report Requirements. Most databases will need to make several different

reports, summary information gathered from different entities. This must contain
the data needed to make these reports but also be related in a way that makes it
possible to bring the various pieces of data together.

 Access and Security Requirements. Most of the information in a database will

confidential. An essential requirement is to develop a security schema that
determines who has access to what data.

Access and Security

User Access refers to what objects and data in a database a user has permission to use.

Business Rules

A Business Rule is a rule that covers the way data are acquired, stored, or processed. A
trigger is a database code that is usually written in SQL, which executes when “triggered” by an
event such as an insert or a delete.

Entities and Attributes

Entities are things that a database is concerned with such as students, inventory, orders,
or courses… Attributes are aspects of entities; they are things that describe an entity or belong to
it. Entities are a part of the logical design of a database; independent of any database
management system. Logical design is always the same no matter what software or OS is being
used.

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 Candidate Keys

A Composite key is a key that consists of more than one attribute. A Natural Key is a key
made from one or more of an entity’s natural attributes. A Surrogate Key is an artificially created
key, often just auto-incremented numbers.

CHAPTER 4: DATABASE DESIGN

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