Chapter 4

Database System Development Lifecycle

Database 1
Objectives
How the software crisis led to a structured
approach to software development called the
information systems lifecycle.
About the relationship between the
information systems lifecycle and the
database system development lifecycle.

Database 2
Objectives
The stages of the database system
development lifecycle.
The activities associated with each stage
of the database system development
lifecycle.

Database 3
Software crisis
Problems with software projects at this
time referred to as the ‘software crisis’.
Major reasons for failure of software
projects includes:
Lack of a complete requirements
specification;
Lack of appropriate development
methodology;
Poor decomposition of design into
manageable components.

Database 4
Information system lifecycle
Solution was to propose a structured
approach to software development called
information systems (IS) lifecycle or
software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Database 5
Information system
Resources that enable collection,
management, control, and dissemination of
data/information throughout an organization.
Database is fundamental component of and
Information Systems (IS). Development/usage
should be viewed from perspective of the
wider requirements of the organization.
Structured approach to development of the
database component of an IS is required.

Database 6
Database system development
lifecycle - stages

Database 7
Stages of database system
development lifecycle
Database planning
System definition
Requirements collection and analysis
Database design
DBMS selection (optional)

Database 8
Stages of database system
development lifecycle
Application design
Prototyping (optional)
Implementation
Data conversion and loading
Testing
Operational maintenance.

Database 9
Database planning
Management activities that allow
stages of database system development
lifecycle to be realized as efficiently and
effectively as possible.
 Should be integrated with overall IS
strategy of the organization.
Includes creation of the mission
statement and mission objectives for the
database system.
Database 10
Mission statement
Those driving database project normally
define the mission statement.
Defines major aims of database system.
Helps clarify purpose of the database
system and provides clearer path towards
the efficient and effective creation of
required database system.

Database 11
Mission objectives
Once mission statement is defined, mission
objectives are defined.
Each objective should identify a particular
task that the database system must support.
 Should also include additional information
that specifies the work to be done, the
resources with which to do it, and the
money to pay for it all.

Database 12
Database planning
Database planning may also include
development of standards that govern:
how data will be collected,
how the format should be specified,
what necessary documentation will be
needed,
how design and implementation should
proceed.

Database 13
System definition
Describes scope and boundaries of
database system, including its major
user views.
 Describes how database system will
interface with other parts of the
organization’s information system.

Database 14
System definition
User view defines what is required of a
database system from the perspective of:
a particular job (such as Manager or
Supervisor) or
business application area (such as marketing,
personnel, or stock control).
Database system may have one or more user
views.

Database 15
System definition
Identifying user views helps ensure that no
major users of the database are forgotten
when developing requirements for new
application.
 User views also help in development of
complex database system allowing
requirements to be broken down into
manageable pieces.

Database 16
Database system with multiple user
views

Database 17
Requirements collection and analysis
Process of collecting and analyzing
information about the organization to be
supported by the database system, and using
this information to identify the requirements
for the new system.
Information is gathered for each major user
view including:
a description of data used or generated;
details of how data is to be used/generated;
any additional requirements for new database
system.

Database 18
Requirements collection and analysis
Information is analyzed to identify
requirements for new database system.
Another important activity is deciding how
to manage database system with multiple
user views.
Three main approaches:
centralized approach;
view integration approach;
combination of both approaches.

Database 19
Centralized approach
Requirements for each user view are
merged into a single set of requirements
for the new database system.
A data model representing all user
views is created during the database
design stage.

Database 20
Centralized approach

Database 21
View integration approach
Requirements for each user view remain
as separate lists. Data models
representing each user view are created
and then merged during the database
design stage.
Data model representing one or more but
not all user views is called a local data
model.
 Local data models are then merged to
produce a global data model to represent
all user views.
Database 22
View integration approach

Database 23
Database design
Process of creating a design that will
support the organization’s mission
statement and objectives for the required
database system.
Three main phases of database design:
conceptual database design,
logical database design,
physical database design.

Database 24
DBMS selection
Selection of an appropriate DBMS to
support the database system.
 Undertaken at any time prior to logical
design provided sufficient information is
available regarding system requirements.

Database 25
Application design
Design of user interface and application
programs that use and process the
database.
 Database and application design are
parallel activities.
Transaction is an action, or series of
actions, carried out by a single user or
application program that accesses or
changes content of the database.
 Should define and document the high-
level characteristics of the transactions
Database 26
Application design
Important characteristics of transactions:
data to be used by the transaction;
functional characteristics of the
transaction;
output of the transaction;
importance to the users;
Expected rate of usage.
Three main types of transactions:
retrieval transactions
update transactions
mixed transactions
Database 27
Guidelines for form/report design

Database 28
Prototyping
Building working model of a database
system.
Purpose is to:
to identify features of a system that work
well, or are inadequate;
to suggest improvements or even new
features;
to clarify the users’ requirements;
to evaluate feasibility of a particular
system design.

Database 29
Prototyping
There are two prototyping strategies:
Requirements prototyping determines the
requirements of a proposed database
system and then the prototype is
discarded.
Evolutionary prototyping is used for the
same purposes, but the prototype is not
discarded and with further development
becomes the working database system.

Database 30
Implementation
Physical realization of the database and
application designs.
Use DDL to create database schemas and
empty database files.
Use DDL to create user views.
Use 3GL or 4GL to create the application
programs, which includes database
transactions.
Use DDL to implement security and
integrity controls. However, some may be
defined using DBMS utilities or operating
Database 31
Data conversion and loading
Transferring any existing data into new
database and converting any existing
applications to run on new database.
only required when a new database
system is replacing an old system.
common for a DBMS to have a utility that
loads existing files into the new database.
May be possible to convert and use
application programs from the old system
for use by the new system.
Database 32
Testing
Process of running the database system
with the intent of finding errors.
Use carefully planned test strategies and
realistic data.
Testing cannot show absence of faults; it
can show only that software faults are
present.
Demonstrates that database and
application programs appear to be
working according to requirements.
Database 33
Operational maintenance
Process of monitoring and maintaining
the database system following
installation and involves:
monitoring performance of system. If
performance falls, may require tuning or
reorganization of the database.
maintaining and upgrading database
system (when required).
incorporating new requirements into
database system.

Database 34