The Client/Server Database Environment

© Prentice Hall, 2002 1

Networked computing model
Processes distributed between clients and
servers
Client – Workstation (usually a PC) that
requests and uses a service
Server – Computer (PC/mini/mainframe)
that provides a service
For DBMS, server is a database server

Client/Server Systems
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 Presentation Logic
◦ Input –
keyboard/mouse GUI Interface
◦ Output –
monitor/printer
Processing Logic Procedures, functions,
◦ I/O processing programs
◦ Business rules
◦ Data management
Storage DBMS activities
Logic
Application Logic in C/S Systems
◦ Data storage/retrieval
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 Client does
File Server Architecture extensive processing

Database Server

Architecture
Client does little
Three-tier
processing
Architecture
Client/Server Architectures
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All processing is done at the PC that
requested the dataFAT CLIENT
Entire files are transferred from the server
to the client for processing.
Problems:
◦ Huge amount of data transfer on the network
◦ Each client must contain full DBMS
 Heavy resource demand on clients

File Server Architecture

 Client DBMSs must recognize shared locks, integrity
checks, etc.
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FAT CLIENT

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 Database Server Architectures
2-tiered approach
Client is responsible for
◦ I/O processing logic
◦ Some business rules logic
Server performs all data storage and access
processing  DBMS is only on server
Advantages
◦ Clients do not have to be as powerful
◦ Greatly reduces data traffic on the network
◦ Improved data integrity since it is all processed centrally
◦ Stored procedures  some business rules done on
server

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Compiled SQL statements
Reduced network traffic
Improved security
Improved data integrity
Thinner clients

Advantages of
Stored Procedures
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 Database server architecture

Thinner
clients

DBMS only
on server

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 Three layers:
GUI interface
◦ Client (I/O processing) Browser
◦ Application server
Business rules Web Server
◦ Database server
Data storage DBMS

 Thin Client
PC just for user interface and a little application

processing. Limited or no data storage (sometimes no
Three-Tier
hard drive) Architectures
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 Three-tier architecture

Thinnest clients

Business rules on
separate server

DBMS only on
DB server
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Scalability
Technologicalflexibility
Long-term cost reduction
Better match of systems to business
needs
Improved customer service
Competitive advantage
Reduced risk

Advantages of Three-Tier
Architectures
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High short-term costs
Tools and training
Experience
Incompatible standards
Lack of compatible end-user
tools
Challenges of Three-tier
Architectures
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 Placing portions of the application code
in different locations (client vs. server)
AFTER it is written
Advantages
◦ Improve performance
◦ Improve interoperability
◦ Balanced workloads

Application Partitioning
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Processing Logic Distributions
2-tier distributions
Processing logic could be
at client, server, or both

Processing logic will be at

application server or Web
server

n-tier distributions
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Tightly Coupled
◦ Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP)
◦ Multiple CPUs
◦ Shared RAM
Loosely Coupled
◦ Massively Parallel Processing (MPP)
◦ Multiple CPUs
◦ Each CPU has its own RAM space

Parallel Computer Architectures

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Parallel Computer Architectures

Tightly-coupled – CPUs share

common memory space

Loosely-coupled – CPUs each

have their own memory space

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Query Processing with Parallel
Processors

Parallel transactions

Parallel query

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Software which allows an application to
interoperate with other software
No need for programmer/user to
understand internal processing
Accomplished via Application Program
Interface (API)

Middleware
The “glue” that holds client/server applications together

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Types
RPC of Middleware
– Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)
◦ client makes calls to procedures running on remote computers
◦ synchronous and asynchronous
Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM)
◦ asynchronous calls between the client via message queues
Publish/Subscribe
◦ push technology  server sends information to client when
available
Object Request Broker (ORB)
◦ Object-oriented management of communications between
clients and servers
SQL-oriented Data Access
◦ Middleware between applications and database servers

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ODBC – Open Database Connectivity
◦ Most DB vendors support this
OLE-DB
◦ Microsoft enhancement of ODBC
JDBC – Java Database Connectivity
◦ Special Java classes that allow Java
applications/applets to connect to databases

Database Middleware
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Client/Server Security
Network environment  complex
security issues
Security levels:
◦ System-level password security
 for allowing access to the system
◦ Database-level password security
 for determining access privileges to tables;
read/update/insert/delete privileges
◦ Secure client/server communication
 via encryption

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Direct-manipulation database language
Graphical approach
Available in MS Access
MS Access translates QBE to SQL and vice
versa
Useful for end-user database
programming
Good for ad hoc processing and
prototyping

Query-by-Example (QBE)
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QBE view of
a 2-table join
query

Equivalent
query in SQL

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Access usability hierarchy

API to call functions in

DLLs external to MS Access

Visual Basic for

Applications…language for
customizing the application
Stored modules of pre-
existing VBA code
Simple processes

Foundation of MS Access

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Using ODBC to Link External Databases
Stored on a Database Server
 Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
◦ API that provides a common language for application
programs to access and process SQL databases independent
of the particular RDBMS that is accessed
 Required parameters:
◦ ODBC driver
◦ Back-end server name
◦ Database name
◦ User id and password
 Additional information:
◦ Data source name (DSN)
◦ Windows client computer name
◦ Client application program’s executable name

Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) is similar to ODBC – built specifically for Java applications
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ODBC Architecture

Client does not need

to know anything
about the DBMS
Application Program
Interface (API) provides
common interface to all
DBMSs

Each DBMS has its own ODBC-compliant driver

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Visual Basic for Applications
VBA is the programming language that
accompanies Access 2000
VBA provides these features:
◦ Ability to perform complex functionality
◦ Error handling
◦ Faster execution than macros
◦ Easier maintenance
◦ OLE automation
◦ Programmatic control
◦ Ease of reading for programmers
 Event-driven – nonprocedural programming
that detects events and generates appropriate
responses

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