Introduction to database

management systems.

1
 Data vs information
• Data – raw facts, that is the facts have not
been processed to reveal their meaning.
• Information – is the result of processing data
to reveal its meaning. Data processing can be
as simple as organizing data to reveal patterns
or as complex as making forecasts or drawing
inferences using statistical modeling. To reveal
meaning, information requires context.

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 Data and information cont…
• Key points:
– Data constitute the building blocks of information.
– Information is produced by processing data.
– Information is used to reveal the meaning of
data.
– Accurate, relevant, and timely information is the
key to good decision making.
– Good decision making is the key to organizational
survival in a global environment.
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• Before Computerization the data/information
was available only in the papers/documents.
• The need to store massive data and retrieve it
faster necessitated more efficient methods.

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 Manual file system
In order to be successful, an organization must
come up with systems for handling core
business tasks. Historically, such systems were
often manual, paper-and-pencil systems. The
papers within these systems were organized
in order to facilitate the expected use of the
data. Typically, this was accomplished through
a system of file folders and filing cabinets.
 Manual file system cont..
As long as a data collection was relatively small and
an organization’s business users had few
reporting requirements, the manual system
served its role well as a data repository.
However, as organizations grew and as reporting
requirements became more complex, keeping
track of data in a manual file system became
more difficult. Therefore, companies looked to
computer technology for help.
 Computerized file system
Generating reports from manual file systems
was slow and cumbersome. In fact, some
business managers faced government-
imposed reporting requirements that required
weeks of intensive effort each quarter, even
when a well-designed manual system was
used.
Computer-based systems that would track data
and produce required reports were created.
 Computerized file system..
Initially, the computer files within the file system
were similar to the manual files.
The description of computer files requires a
specialized vocabulary. Every discipline
develops its own jargon to enable its
practitioners to communicate clearly.
 Computerized file system..
When business users wanted data from the
computerized file, they sent requests for the data
to the data processing (DP) specialist. For each
request, the DP specialist had to create programs
to retrieve the data from the file, manipulate it in
whatever manner the user had requested, and
present it as a printed report. If a request was for
a report that had been previously run, the DP
specialist could rerun the existing program and
provide the printed results to the user.
 Computerized file system..
The continued use of and demand for a
computerized file exposed some of its major
weaknesses that necessitated a more efficient
approach to data storage and retrieval.
 Problems with file systems
• Data are Still Highly Redundant
– Sharing Limited and at the File Level

• Data is Unstructured
– “Flat” Files

• High Maintenance Costs

– Data Dependence
– Ensuring Data Consistency and Controlling Access to Data (Concurrent Access Problematic)
– Difficult to Understand by New Developers

• Difficulties in Developing New Applications

• Almost Impossible to Evolve with New
Capabilities
• Risk of Inefficient Applications
 Database vs. File System
Coordinates Both Physical and Coordinates Only the Physical
Logical Access to the Data Access to the Data
Data are Shared by All Programs Data Written by One Program May
Authorized to Have Access to It Not Be Readable by Another
Program
Flexible Access to Data (i.e., Pre-determined Access to Data
Queries) (I.E., Compiled Programs)
No Two Programs Can
Concurrently Access the Same File
Multiple Users Accessing the Same
Data at Same Time
 Introduction to databases
A database (DB) is a collection of structured
(organized), inter-related information units
(objects).
An information unit is a package of information at
various levels of granularity. An information unit
could be as simple as a string of letters forming the
name of an experimenter or a data value collected
from an experiment. It could also be as complex as
the protocol of an experiment, a published paper,
the image of a rat brain, the audio clip of a speech,
or the video clip of an experiment in a laboratory.

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 Databases…
Every database is a model of some real world system. At
all times, the contents of a database are intended to
represent a snapshot of the state of an application
environment, and each change to the database should
reflect an event (or sequence of events).
A database can be of any size and of varying complexity.
For example, a database can contain the information of
only a few hundred people working on the same project
but It could also contain the information of a bank, an
airline company, or data collected from scientific
experiments.

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 DBMS
• A database management system (DBMS) is a
generalized collection of integrated mechanisms
and tools to support the definition, manipulation,
and control of databases for a variety of
application environments.
• The goal of a DBMS is to simplify the storing and
accessing of data. To this purpose DBMSs provide
facilities that serve the most common operations
performed on data.

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 Who uses a DB?
• Banks
• Hotels
• Hospitals
• Schools and colleges

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 Functional capabilities of a DBMS

• Support the independent existence of a database,

apart from the application programs and systems that
manipulate it.
• Provide a conceptual/logical level of data abstraction.
• Support the query and modification of databases.
• Accommodate the evolvability of both the conceptual
structure and internal (physical) organization of a
database, in response to changing information, usage,
and performance requirements.

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 Functional capabilities of a DBMS…

• Control a database, which involves the four

aspects of semantic integrity (making sure the
database is an accurate model of its
application environment), security
(authorization), concurrency (handling
multiple simultaneous users), and recovery
(restoring the database in the event of a
failure of some type).

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 Advantages of DBMS
 Control of data  Improved data
redundancy accessibility and
 Data consistency responsiveness
 Multipurpose use of  Increased productivity
data  Improved
 Sharing of data,
maintenance through
 Enforcement of
data independence
standards
 Increased concurrency
 Economy of scale
 Improved backup and
recovery services.
 Improved data
security
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 Disadvantages of DBMS
 Complexity(implementation, use and
maintenance)
 Costly:
 Acquisition and maintenance
 Additional hardware costs
 Cost of data conversion.

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An information system

App 1 App 2

DBMS

DB

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 Commonly used data types
• Numeric
• Alphanumeric
• Date
• Logical
• Memo

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Components of a database system
Components of a Database Systems
• Hardware
• Software – DBMS
• Data
• Procedures
• Users
Hardware
•These are secondary storage on which the
database physically resides, together with
the associated I/O devices, device
controllers etc.
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 Components of a database system
Software
• Comprises the DBMS software and
application programs as well as the
operating system and network software(if
DBMS being used over a network).
Procedures
• Instruction and rules that govern design
and use of databases e.g. starting and
stopping db, backup and recovery
services.
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 Data
• The data in the database will be
expected to be both integrated and
shared particularly on multi-user
systems
• Integration - The database may be
thought of as a unification of several
otherwise distinct files, with any
redundancy among these files
eliminated.
• Shared - individual pieces of data in the
database may be shared among several
different users.
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 Users Roles
• Database Designers - designs conceptual
and logical database
• Application Developers - writes
application programs that use the
database.
• Data and Database Administrator
• End user - interacts with the system by
using Query Languages etc.

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 User Roles
Data Administrator – a business manager
responsible for controlling the overall
corporate data resources.
Database Administrator (DBA) - a technical
person responsible for development of the
system.

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 University DB Example
• Departments:
• Students
• Course
• Section
• Grades
• Prerequisites

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