Traditional File processing systems and Database approach

Traditional File processing systems

In the beginning of computer-based data processing, there were no databases. To be useful for business
applications, computers must be able to store, manipulate, and retrieve large files of data. Computer file
processing systems were developed for this purpose. As business applications became more complex, it
became evident that traditional file processing systems had a number of short comings and limitations
(described below). As a result, these systems have been replaced by database processing systems in most
critical business applications today.

Example – File Processing Systems at Pine Valley Furniture Company

Pine Valley Furniture Company manufactures high-quality, all-wood furniture and distributes
it to retail stores nationwide. Among the firm’s several product lines are computer desks,
entertainment centers, dinette sets, bookcases, and wall units. Customers submit orders to
Pine Valley Furniture by any of several means: telephone, mail, fax, or electronic forms via
the Internet. The company employs a total of about 100 persons at the present time and is
experiencing rapid growth.

Early computer applications at Pine Valley Furniture used the traditional file processing
approach. This approach to information systems design focused on the data processing needs
of individual departments, instead of evaluating the overall information needs of the
organization.

Three of the computer applications based on the file processing approach are shown bellow.

Program Program Program Program Program Program Program

A B C A B A B

Order Filling System Invoicing System Payroll System

Customer Inventory Back Order Inventory Customer Employee

Master File Master File File Pricing File Master File Master File

Orders Department Accounting Department Payroll Department

The systems illustrated are Order Filling, Invoicing, and Payroll. The figure also shows the
major data files associated with each application. A file is a collection of related records.

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For example the Order Filling System has three files: Customer Master, Inventory Master,
and Back Order. Notice that there is duplication of some of the files used by the three
applications, which is typical of file processing systems.

Disadvantages of File Processing Systems

Duplication of data

Since applications are often developed independently in file processing systems, unplanned duplicate data
files are very common. In above example inventory master file. This duplication is wasteful since it requires
additional storage space, increased effort to keep all files up to date.

Program data dependence

File descriptions are stored within each application program that accesses a given file. As a consequence,
any change to a file structure requires change to the file structure requires changes to the file descriptions
for all programs that access the file.

Limited data sharing

With the traditional file processing approach, each application has its own private files and users have little
opportunity to share data outside their own applications.

Lengthy development times

With traditional file processing systems there is little opportunity to leverage previous development effort.
Each new application requires that the developer essentially start from scratch by designing new file
formats and descriptions, and then writing the file access logic for each new program.

Excessive program maintenance

The preceding factors all combine to create a heavy program maintenance load in organizations that rely
on traditional file systems

The Database Approach

The database approach emphasizes the integration and sharing of data throughout the organization.

Example-The Database Approach at Pine Valley Furniture Company

By the early 1990s competition in furniture manufacturing had intensified, and competitors
seemed to respond more rapidly than Pine Valley Furniture to new business opportunities.
While there were many reasons for this trend, managers felt that the computer information
systems they had been using (based on traditional file processing) had become outmoded.
The company started a development effort that eventually led to adopting a database
approach for the company.

Pine Valley Furniture Company’s first step in converting to a database approach was to
develop a list of the high level entities that support the business activities of the

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organization. An entity is an object or concept that is important to the business. Some of the
high level entities identified at Pine Valley Furniture are the following: Customer, Product,
Employee, Customer Order, and Department.

After these entities were identified and defined, the company proceeded to develop an
enterprise data model. An enterprise data model is a graphical model that shows the high
level entities for the organization and associations among those entities. A segment of the
enterprise data model containing four entities and three pertinent associations is shown
below.

Customer Product

Places Has

Is Placed by
Is for
Order Contains Is Contained in Order Line

The entities shown in this model segments are the followings

Customer- People and organizations that buy may potentially buy products from Pine Valley Furniture

Order – The purchase of one or more products by a customer

Product – The items Pine Valley Furniture makes and sells

Order Line – Details about each product sold on a particular customer order (such as quantity and price)

The three associations (called relationships in database terminology) shown in the figure

1. Each Customer places any number of Orders. Conversely, each Order is placed by exactly one
Customer.
2. Each Order contains any number of Order lines. Conversely, each Order line is contained in exactly
one Order.
3. Each Product has any number of Order lines. Conversely, each Order line is for exactly one Product.

Advantages of Database approach

Program- data Independence
The separation of data descriptions (metadata) from the application programs that use the data is called
data independence. With the database approach data descriptions are stored in a central location called
the repository. This property of database systems allows an organization’s data to change and evolve
without changing application programs that process the data.

Minimal Data Redundancy

The design goal with the database approach is that data files are integrated into a single logical structure.
Each primary fact is recorded in only one place in the database. The database approach does not eliminate
redundancy entirely, but it allows the designer to carefully control the type and amount of redundancy.
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Improved Data Consistency

By eliminating data redundancy, we greatly reduce the opportunities for inconsistency. For example if a
customer address is stored only once, we cannot disagree on the stored values. Also, updating data values
is greatly simplified when each value is stored in one place only. Finally, we avoid the wasted storage space
that results from redundant data storage.

Improved Data Sharing

A database is designed as a shared corporate resource. Authorized internal and external users are granted
permission to use the database, and each user is provided one or more user views to facilitate this use. A
user view is a logical description of some portion of the database that is required by a user to perform
some task.

Increased productivity of Application development

A major advantage of the database approach is that it greatly reduces the cost and time for developing
new business applications. There are two reasons.

1. Assuming that the database and the related data capture and maintenance applications have
already been designed and implemented, the programmer can concentrate on the specific
functions required for the new application without having to worry about file design or low level
implementation details.
2. The database management system provides a number of high-level productivity tools such as forms
and report generators and high level languages that automate some of the activities of database
design and implementation.

Improved Data Quality

The database approach provides a number of tools and processes to improve data quality. Two of more
important are the following:

1. Database designers can specify integrity constraints that are enforced by the DBMS. A constraint is
a rule that cannot be violated by database users.
2. One of the objectives of a data warehouse environment is to clean up operational data before they
are placed in the data warehouse

Improved Data Accessibility and Responsiveness

With a relational database, end users without programming experience can often retrieve and display data,
even when it crosses traditional departmental boundaries.

Reduced Program Maintenance

Stored data must be changed frequently for a variety of reasons: new data item types are added, data
formats are changed and so on. In a database environment, data are more independent of the application
programs that use them. We can change either the data or the application programs that use the data
without necessitating a change in the other factor. As a result, program maintenance can be significantly
reduced in a modern database environment.