CSBP430 – Database Systems Chapter 1: Databases and Database Users

1. CSBP430 – Database SystemsChapter 1: Databases and Database Users Mamoun Awad College of Information Technology United Arab Emirates University Mamoun.awad@uaeu.ac.ae

2. In this chapter, you will learn: • Basic Definitions • Example of a Database • Main Characteristics of Database Technology • Additional Benefits of Database Technology • When Not to Use a DBMS

3. Basic Definitions • Database: A collection of related data. • Data: Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning. • Mini-world: Some part of the real world about which data is stored in a database. For example, student grades and transcripts at a university. • Database Management System (DBMS): A software package/system to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a computerized database. • Database System: The DBMS software together with the data itself. Sometimes, the applications are also included.

4. File Terminology • Data: Raw Facts • Field: Group of characters with specific meaning • Record: Logically connected fields that describe a person, place, or thing • File: Collection of related records

5. Simple File System

6. File System Critique • File System Data Management • Requires extensive programming in third-generation language (3GL) • Time consuming • Makes ad hoc queries impossible • Leads to islands of information

7. File System Critique (con’t.) • Data Dependence • Change in file’s data characteristics requires modification of data access programs • Must tell program what to do and how • Makes file systems cumbersome from programming and data management views • Structural Dependence • Change in file structure requires modification of related programs

8. File System Critique (con’t.) • Data Redundancy • Different and conflicting versions of same data • Results of uncontrolled data redundancy • Data anomalies • Modification • Insertion • Deletion • Data inconsistency • Lack of data integrity

9. Database Systems • Database consists of logically related data stored in a single repository • Provides advantages over file system management approach • Eliminates inconsistency, data anomalies, data dependency, and structural dependency problems • Stores data structures, relationships, and access paths

10. Database vs. File Systems

11. Database System Environment

12. Example of a Database(with a Conceptual Data Model) • Mini-world for the example: Part of a UNIVERSITY environment. • Some mini-world entities: - STUDENTs - COURSEs - SECTIONs (of COURSEs) - (academic) DEPARTMENTs - INSTRUCTORs • Some mini-world relationships: - SECTIONs are of specific COURSEs - STUDENTs take SECTIONs - COURSEs have prerequisite COURSEs - INSTRUCTORs teach SECTIONs - COURSEs are offered by DEPARTMENTs - STUDENTs major in DEPARTMENTs

15. Main Characteristics of Database Technology • Self-contained nature of a database system: • A DBMS catalog stores the description of the database. The description is called meta-data). This allows the DBMS software to work with different databases. • Insulation between programs and data: • Called program-data independence. Allows changing data storage structures and operations without having to change the DBMS access programs. • Data Abstraction: • A data model is used to hide storage details and present the users with a conceptual view of the database. • Support of multiple views of the data: • Each user may see a different view of the database, which describes only the data of interest to that user.

17. Additional Benefits of Database Technology • Controlling redundancy in data storage and in development and maintenance efforts. • Sharing of data among multiple users. • Restricting unauthorized access to data. • Providing multiple interfaces to different classes of users. • Representing complex relationships among data. • Enforcing integrity constraints on the database. • Providing backup and recovery services. • Potential for enforcing standards. • Flexibility to change data structures. • Reduced application development time. • Availability of up-to-date information. • Economies of scale.

19. Importance of DBMS • Makes data management more efficient and effective • Query language allows quick answers to ad hoc queries • Provides better access to more and better-managed data • Promotes integrated view of organization’s operations • Reduces the probability of inconsistent data

20. DBMS Manages Interaction

21. Database Design • Importance of Good Design • Poor design results in unwanted data redundancy • Poor design generates errors leading to bad decisions • Practical Approach • Focus on principles and concepts of database design • Importance of logical design

22. Database Models and the Internet • Characteristics of “Internet age” databases • Flexible, efficient, and secure Internet access • Easily used, developed, and supported • Supports complex data types and relationships • Seamless interfaces with multiple data sources and structures • Simplicity of conceptual database model • Many database design, implementation, and application development tools • Powerful DBMS GUI make DBA job easier

23. When not to use a DBMS • Main inhibitors (costs) of using a DBMS: • High initial investment and possible need for additional hardware. • Overhead for providing generality, security, recovery, integrity, and concurrency control. • When a DBMS may be unnecessary: • If the database and applications are simple, well defined, and not expected to change. • If there are stringent real-time requirements that may not be met because of DBMS overhead. • If access to data by multiple users is not required. • When no DBMS may suffice: • If the database system is not able to handle the complexity of data because of modeling limitations • If the database users need special operations not supported by the DBMS.