The Database Environment

The database environment

• To be able to function, an organisation needs information, e.g.
list of books in a library, customer details in a retail business,
specifications of cars and their components for a car
manufacturer
• Information may be defined as data represented in a
meaningful form. Same data shown in different ways will
provide different information to different viewers
• A major requirement of any computer system is to store and
retrieve data in a way that is meaningful to the end user – so
the core of any Information System is data, which is to be
transformed into information through data modelling
 Definitions
• Data: Meaningful facts, text, graphics, images, sound,
video segments.
• Database: An organized collection of logically related
data.
• Information: Data processed to be useful in decision
making.
• Metadata: Data that describes data.
Summarized data
 Disadvantages of file processing
systems
Still widely used today (e.g. for backup) but have the following problems:
• Program-Data Dependence (see Fig.) – file descriptions are stored
within each application that accesses file, so change to file structure
requires changes to all file descriptions in all programs.
• Data Redundancy (Duplication of data) – wasteful, inconsistent, loss
of metadata integrity (same data has different names in different files,
or same name may be used for different data in different files).
• Limited Data Sharing – users have little opportunity to share data
outside their own applications.
• Lengthy Development Times – little opportunity to re-use previous
development efforts.
• Excessive Program Maintenance – factors above combine to create
heavy maintenance load
Three file processing systems
 Advantages of the
database approach
• Minimal Data Redundancy/Improved Consistency
• Data Integration
• Multiple Relationships
 Database management system
• A DBMS is a data storage and retrieval system which
permits data to be stored non-redundantly while making it
appear to the user as if the data is well-integrated.
 Advantages of the
database approach
• Data Independence/Reduced Maintenance
• Improved Data Sharing
• Increased Application Development Productivity
• Enforcement of Standards
• Improved Data Quality (Constraints)
• Better Data Accessibility/ Responsiveness
• Security, Backup/Recovery, Concurrency
 Costs and risks of the
database approach (Disadvantages of DB)
• New, Specialized Personnel required
• Installation Management Cost and Complexity
• Conversion Costs
• Need for Explicit Backup and Recovery
• Organizational Conflict
 Segment from enterprise data model
Figure 3
 The range of
database applications
• Personal Database PCs/PDAs, Cellphones – OK in special situations
where need to share data amongst users is unlikely to arise
• Workgroup Database. Designed to support collaboration in a small
team (less than 25 people)
• Department Database typically larger than a workgroup (25-100
people) and more diverse range of functions – e.g. personnel database
• Enterprise Database – scope of the whole organisation. May be more
than one, as a single database for a large organisation may be
impractical due to performance difficulties for large databases, diverse
needs of user groups, and difficulty of achieving common definition of
data (metadata) for all users.
An enterprise
data
warehouse
 Components of the
database environment
• CASE Tools – automated tools used to design databases and applications
• Repository – generalised knowledge for all data definitions, relationships,
screen/report formats – an extended set of metadata for managing databases
and other components of the information system
• Database Management System (DBMS) – software (sometimes specialised
hardware) used to define, create, maintain and provide controlled access to the
database and the repository.
• Database(DB) – an organised collection of logically related data occurrences
• Application Program
• User interface
• End User
• System Developer
• DBA
 Components of the database
environment
• Application Programs – software used to create and
maintain the database and provide information to users.
• User Interface – languages, menus etc by which users
interact with other system components
• Data Administrators – people responsible for overall
information resources of an organisation.
• Systems analysts/programmers and end Users – people
who add, delete and modify the database and who get
information from it.
Components
of the
database
environment