The Database Approach
• Introducing the database
• Eco-system related to database
Database Management –
COMP3140
Billy Yu
1
Database Career
Data versus Information
[Link]
Data Information
• Raw facts • Produced by processing
– Have not yet been raw data to reveal its
processed to reveal meaning
their meaning to the • Requires context
end user • Bedrock of knowledge
• Building blocks of • Should be accurate,
information relevant, and timely to
• Data management enable good decision
– Generation, storage, making
and retrieval of data
Introducing the Database
• Shared, integrated computer structure
that stores a collection of:
– End-user data - Raw facts of interest to end
user
– Metadata: Data about data, which the end-
user data are integrated and managed
• Describe data characteristics and relationships
• Database management system (DBMS)
– Collection of programs
– Manages the database structure
– Controls access to data stored in the
database
Types of Databases
• Single-user database: Supports one user at a
time
– Desktop database: Runs on PC
• Multiuser database: Supports multiple users at
the same time
– Workgroup databases: Supports a small
number of users or a specific department
– Enterprise database: Supports many users
across many departments
Databases … • General-purpose
databases: Contains a
• Centralized database: wide variety of data
Data is located at a used in multiple
single site disciplines
• Distributed database: • Discipline-specific
Data is distributed databases: Contains
across different sites data focused on
• Cloud database: specific subject areas
Created and maintained • Operational
using cloud data services database: Designed to
that provide defined support a company’s
performance measures day-to-day operations
for the database
Databases of matters today
• Analytical database: Stores historical data
and business metrics used exclusively for
tactical or strategic decision making
– Data warehouse: Stores data in a format
optimized for decision support
– Online analytical processing (OLAP)
• Tools for retrieving, processing, and modeling data from
the data warehouse
• Business intelligence: Captures and processes business data to generate
information that support decision making
Types of Data for analysis
• Unstructured data: It exists
in their original state
NoSQL
• Structured data: It results
from formatting • A new generation of
database management
– Structure is applied based systems that is not
on type of processing to be based on the
performed traditional relational
• Semistructured data: database model. (Not
Processed to some extent in tabular relations!!)
• Extensible Markup Language
(XML)
– Represents data elements
in textual format
A world without database
• Problems with File System Data
Processing
9
Structural and Data Dependence
• Structural dependence: Access to a file is
dependent on its own structure
– All file system programs are modified to
conform to a new file structure
• Structural independence: File structure is
changed without affecting the application’s
ability to access the data
Data Redundancy
• Unnecessarily storing • Poor data security
same data at different • Data inconsistency
places
• Increased likelihood of
data-entry errors when
• Islands of information: complex entries are made
Scattered data in different files
locations • Data anomaly: Develops
– Increases the when not all of the
probability of having required changes in the
different versions of redundant data are made
the same data successfully
11
Anomalies
• Update anomalies
– A agent’s phone number changes, update each
of the customer file records ???
• Insertion anomalies
– Add a new agent, add to many customer files?
• Deletion anomalies
– agent resigns, delete agent data??
12
Data Redundancy Implications
• Poor data security
• Data inconsistency
• Increased likelihood of data-entry errors
when complex entries are made in different
files
• Data anomaly: Develops when not all of the
required changes in the redundant data are
made successfully
13
Database Design
• The process that yields the description of the
database structure and determines the database
components.
• Focuses on the design of the database structure
that will be used to store and manage end-user
data
• Well-designed database
– Facilitates data management
– Generates accurate and valuable information
• Poorly designed database causes difficult-to-
trace errors
Table 1.2 - Basic File Terminology
DBMS Functions
•Data dictionary management
• Data dictionary: Stores definitions of the data elements and their
relationships
•Data storage management
• Performance tuning: Ensures efficient performance of the database
in terms of storage and access speed
•Data transformation and presentation
• Transforms entered data to conform to required data structures
•Security management
• Enforces user security and data privacy
DBMS Functions
•Multiuser access control
• Sophisticated algorithms ensure that multiple users can
access the database concurrently without compromising its
integrity
•Backup and recovery management
• Enables recovery of the database after a failure
•Data integrity management
• Minimizes redundancy and maximizes consistency
17
DBMS Functions
•Database access languages and application programming
interfaces
• Query language: Lets the user specify what must be done
without having to specify how
• Structured Query Language (SQL): De facto query language
and data access standard supported by the majority of DBMS
vendors
•Database communication interfaces
• Accept end-user requests via multiple, different network
environments
18
Disadvantages of Database Systems
