Database Systems

Database Systems:
Design, Implementation, and Management, Sixth Edition,
Rob and Coronel

CHAPTER 1
Course Book
Database Systems:
Design, Implementation, and Management,
Sixth Edition, Rob and Coronel

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Data vs. Information
 Data:
 Raw facts; building blocks of information
 Unprocessed information
 Information:
 Data processed to reveal meaning
 Accurate, relevant, and timely information is key
to good decision making
 Good decision making is key to survival in
global environment
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Introducing the Database
and the DBMS

 Database—shared, integrated computer structure

that houses:

 End user data (raw facts)

 Raw facts to the interest of end users

 Metadata (data about data)

 Through which the data are integrated and managed

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Introducing the Database
and the DBMS (continued)
 DBMS (database management system):
 Collection of programs that manages database
structure and controls access to data
 Possible to share data among multiple applications or
users
 Makes data management more efficient and effective

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DBMS Makes Data Management
More Efficient and Effective
 End users have better access to more and better-
managed data
 Promotes integrated view of organization’s operations
 Probability of data inconsistency is greatly reduced
 Possible to produce quick answers to ad hoc queries

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Types of Databases
 Single-user:
 Supports only one user at a time
 Desktop:
 Single-user database running on a personal
computer
 Multi-user:
 Supports multiple users at the same time
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Types of Databases (continued)
 Workgroup:
 Multi-user database that supports a small group of
users or a single department

 Enterprise:
 Multi-user database that supports a large group of
users or an entire organization

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Location of Databases
 Centralized:
 Supports data located at a single site

 Distributed:
 Supports data distributed across several sites

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Uses of Databases
 Transactional (or production):
 Supports a company’s day-to-day operations
 Data warehouse:
 Stores data used to generate information required to
make tactical or strategic decisions
 Such decisions typically require “data massaging”
 Often used to store historical data
 Structure is quite different

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Why Database Design is Important
 Defines the database’s expected use
 Different approach needed for different types of
databases
 Avoid redundant data (unnecessarily duplicated)
 Poorly designed database generates errors 
leads to bad decisions  can lead to failure of
organization

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The Historical Roots of Database:
Files and File Systems

 Although managing data through file systems is

largely obsolete
 Understanding relatively simple characteristics of file
systems makes complexity of database design easier to
understand
 Awareness of problems that plagued file systems can
help prevent similar problems in DBMS
 Knowledge of file systems is helpful if you plan to
convert an obsolete file system to a DBMS

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Manual File Systems
 Traditionally composed of collection of file
folders kept in file cabinet
 Organization within folders was based on data’s
expected use (ideally logically related)
 System was adequate for small amounts of data
with few reporting requirements
 Finding and using data in growing collections of
file folders became time-consuming and
cumbersome
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Conversion from Manual File System
to Computer File System
 Could be technically complex, requiring hiring of
data processing (DP) specialists
 DP specialists created file structures, wrote
software, and designed application programs
 Resulted in numerous “home-grown” systems
being created
 Initially, computer files were similar in design to
manual files (see Figure 1.3)

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Contents of Customer File

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Evolution of Simple File System
 As number of databases increased, small file
system evolved

 Each file used its own application programs

 Each file was owned by individual or department

who commissioned its creation

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Problems with
File System Data Management
 Every task requires extensive programming in a
third-generation language (3GL) COBOL is an
example of 3GL
 Programmer must specify task and how it must be
done
 Modern databases use fourth-generation language
(4GL)
 Allows user to specify what must be done without
specifying how it is to be done
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Programming in 3GL
 Time-consuming, high-level activity
 Programmer must be familiar with physical file
structure
 As system becomes complex, access paths
become difficult to manage and tend to produce
malfunctions
 Complex coding establishes precise location of
files and system components and data
characteristics
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Programming in 3GL (continued)
 Ad hoc queries are impossible
 Writing programs to design new reports is time
consuming
 As number of files increases, system
administration becomes difficult
 Making changes in existing file structure is
difficult
 File structure changes require modifications in all
programs that use data in that file
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Programming in 3GL (continued)
 Modifications are likely to produce errors,
requiring additional time to “debug” the program
 Security features hard to program and therefore
often omitted

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Structural and Data Dependence
 Structural dependence
 Access to a file depends on its structure
 Data dependence
 Changes in database structure affect program’s
ability to access data
 Logical data format
 How a human being views the data
 Physical data format
 How the computer “sees” the data

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Field Definitions
and Naming Conventions
 Flexible record definition anticipates reporting
requirements by breaking up fields into their
component parts

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Sample Customer File Fields

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Data Redundancy
 Data redundancy results in data inconsistency
 Different and conflicting versions of the same data
appear in different places
 Errors more likely to occur when complex entries
are made in several different files and recur
frequently in one or more files
 Data anomalies develop when required changes
in redundant data are not made successfully

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Data Anomalies
 Modification anomalies
 Occur when changes must be made to existing
records
 Insertion anomalies
 Occur when entering new records
 Deletion anomalies
 Occur when deleting records
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Database vs. File System

 Problems inherent in file systems make using a

database system desirable
 File system
 Many separate and unrelated files
 Database
 Logically related data stored in a single logical data
repository

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The Database System Environment
 Database system is composed of 5 main parts:
1. Hardware
2. Software
 Operating system software
 DBMS software
 Application programs and utility software
3. People
4. Procedures
5. Data

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DBMS Functions
 Performs functions that guarantee integrity and
consistency of data
 Data dictionary management
 defines data elements and their relationships
 Data storage management
 stores data and related data entry forms, report definitions,
etc.
 Data transformation and presentation
 translates logical requests into commands to physically
locate and retrieve the requested data

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DBMS Functions (continued)
 Security management
 enforces user security and data privacy within database
 Multi-user access control
 creates structures that allow multiple users to access the
data
 Backup and recovery management
 provides backup and data recovery procedures

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DBMS Functions (continued)
 Data integrity management
 promotes and enforces integrity rules to eliminate data
integrity problems
 Database access languages and application
programming interfaces
 provides data access through a query language
 Database communication interfaces
 allows database to accept end-user requests within a
computer network environment

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Summary

 Information is derived from data, which is stored in

a database

 To implement and manage a database, use a DBMS

 Database design defines its structure

 Good design is important

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Summary (continued)
 Databases were preceded by file systems

 Because file systems lack a DBMS, file

management becomes difficult as a file system
grows

 DBMS were developed to address file systems’

inherent weaknesses

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References
 Chapter One Complete
 You can GOOGLE it for more details

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