Database:

A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can

easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
Database Management System (DBMS):
DataBase Management System (DBMS) is a software pacage that allows
data to be effecti!ely stored, retrie!ed and manipulated and the data stored in
a DBMS pacege can be accessed by multiple users and by multiple
application programs lie (S"# Ser!er, $racle, Ms%Access) .
Comparison of Traditional File-Based Approach and Database
Approach
At the beginning, you should understand the rationale of replacing the
traditional file%based system with the database system.
File-based System
&ile%based systems were an early attempt to computerize the manual filing
system. &ile%based system is a collection of application programs that
perform ser!ices for the end%users. 'ach program defines and manages its
data.
(owe!er, fi!e types of problem are occurred in using the file%based
approach)
! Separation and isolation of data
*hen data is isolated in separate files, it is more difficult for us to access
data that should be a!ailable. +he application programmer is re,uired to
synchronize the processing of two or more files to ensure the correct data is
e-tracted.
"! D#plication of data
*hen employing the decentralized file%based approach, the uncontrolled
duplication of data is occurred. .ncontrolled duplication of data is
undesirable because)
i. Duplication is wasteful
ii. Duplication can lead to loss of data integrity
$! Data dependence
.sing file%based system, the physical structure and storage of the data files
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and records are defined in the application program code. +his characteristic
is nown as program%data dependence. Maing changes to an e-isting
structure are rather difficult and will lead to a modification of program.
Such maintenance acti!ities are time%consuming and sub0ect to error.
%! &ncompatible file formats
+he structures of the file are dependent on the application programming
language. (owe!er file structure pro!ided in one programming language
such as direct file, inde-ed%se,uential file which is a!ailable in 1$B$#
programming, may be different from the structure generated by other
programming language such as 1. +he direct incompatibility maes them
difficult to process 0ointly.
Fi'ed (#eries ) proliferation of application programs
&ile%based systems are !ery dependent upon the application programmer.
Any re,uired ,ueries or reports ha!e to be written by the application
programmer. 2ormally, a fi-ed format ,uery or report can only be
entertained and no facility for ad%hoc ,ueries if offered.
Database Approach:
3n order to o!ercome the limitations of the file%based approach, the concept
of database and the Database Management System (DMS) was emerged in
45s.
Ad*antages
A number of ad!antages of applying database approach in application system
are obtained including)
! Control of data red#ndancy
+he database approach attempts to eliminate the redundancy by integrating
the file. Although the database approach does not eliminate redundancy
entirely, it controls the amount of redundancy inherent in the database.
"! Data consistency
By eliminating or controlling redundancy, the database approach reduces the
ris of inconsistencies occurring. 3t ensures all copies of the data are ept
consistent.
$! More information from the same amo#nt of data
*ith the integration of the operated data in the database approach, it may be
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possible to deri!e additional information for the same data.
%! Sharing of data
Database belongs to the entire organization and can be shared by all
authorized users.
+! &mpro*ed data integrity
Database integrity pro!ides the !alidity and consistency of stored data.
3ntegrity is usually e-pressed in terms of constraints, which are consistency
rules that the database is not permitted to !iolate.
,! &mpro*ed sec#rity
Database approach pro!ides a protection of the data from the unauthorized
users. 3t may tae the term of user names and passwords to identify user
type and their access right in the operation including retrie!al, insertion,
updating and deletion.
-! .nforcement of standards
+he integration of the database enforces the necessary standards including
data formats, naming con!entions, documentation standards, update
procedures and access rules.
/! .conomy of scale
1ost sa!ings can be obtained by combining all organization7s operational
data into one database with applications to wor on one source of data.
0! Balance of conflicting re(#irements
By ha!ing a structural design in the database, the conflicts between users or
departments can be resol!ed. Decisions will be based on the base use of
resources for the organization as a whole rather that for an indi!idual entity.
1!&mpro*ed data accessibility and responsi*eness
By ha!ing an integration in the database approach, data accessing can be
crossed departmental boundaries. +his feature pro!ides more functionality
and better ser!ices to the users.
! &ncreased prod#cti*ity
+he database approach pro!ides all the low%le!el file%handling routines. +he
pro!ision of these functions allows the programmer to concentrate more on
the specific functionality re,uired by the users. +he fourth%generation
en!ironment pro!ided by the database can simplify the database application
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de!elopment.
"!&mpro*ed maintenance
Database approach pro!ides a data independence. As a change of data
structure in the database will be affect the application program, it simplifies
database application maintenance.
$!&ncreased conc#rrency
Database can manage concurrent data access effecti!ely. 3t ensures no
interference between users that would not result any loss of information nor
loss of integrity.
%!&mpro*ed bac2ing and reco*ery ser*ices
Modern database management system pro!ides facilities to minimize the
amount of processing that can be lost following a failure by using the
transaction approach.
Disad*antages
3n split of a large number of ad!antages can be found in the database
approach, it is not without any challenge. +he following disad!antages can
be found including)
! Comple'ity
Database management system is an e-tremely comple- piece of software.
All parties must be familiar with its functionality and tae full ad!antage of
it. +herefore, training for the administrators, designers and users is re,uired.
"! Si3e
+he database management system consumes a substantial amount of main
memory as well as a large number amount of dis space in order to mae it
run efficiently.
$! Cost of DBMS
A multi%user database management system may be !ery e-pensi!e. '!en
after the installation, there is a high recurrent annual maintenance cost on the
software.
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%! Cost of con*ersion
*hen mo!ing from a file%base system to a database system, the company is
re,uired to ha!e additional e-penses on hardware ac,uisition and training
cost.
+! 4erformance
As the database approach is to cater for many applications rather than
e-clusi!ely for a particular one, some applications may not run as fast as
before.
,! 5igher impact of a fail#re
+he database approach increases the !ulnerability of the system due to the
centralization. As all users and applications reply on the database
a!ailability, the failure of any component can bring operations to a halt and
affect the ser!ices to the customer seriously.
DBMS Architect#re:
9. External view) +his is a highest le!el of abstraction as seen by user. +his
le!el of abstraction describes only the part of entire database. 3t is based on
the conceptual model, is the end user !iew of data en!ironment. 'ach
e-ternal !iew described by means of a schema called an e-ternal schema or
subschema.
:. Conceptual level) At this le!el of database abstraction all the database
entities and the relationships among them are included. $ne conceptual !iew
represents the entire database. the conceptual schema defines ths conceptual
!iew.
;. Internal(physical) level ) +his lowest le!el of abstraction. it closest to
physical storage de!ice. 3t describes how data are actually stored on the
storage medium. +he internal schema, which contains the definition of the
stored record, the method representing the data fields, e-presses the internal
!iew and the access aids used.
<
Data Independence:
1. The ability to modify a scheme defnition in one level without
afecting a scheme defnition in a higher level is called data
independence.
2. There are two kinds:
o
Physical data independence

The ability to modify the physical scheme without

causing application programs to be rewritten

Modifcations at this level are usually to improve

performance
o
Logical data independence

The ability to modify the conceptual scheme without

causing application programs to be rewritten

sually done when logical structure of database is

altered
=
!. "ogical data independence is harder to achieve as the application
programs are usually heavily dependent on the logical structure
of the data. #n analogy is made to abstract data types in
programming languages.
Types of Database Users:
sers are diferentiated by the way they e$pect to interact with the
system:
%. & Application programmers ' interact with system through (M" calls.
). & Sophisticated users ' form re*uests in a database *uery language.
+. & Specialized users ' write speciali,ed database applications that do
not ft into the traditional data processing framework.
-. &Naie users ' invoke one of the permanent application programs that
have been written previously.
Database Administrator !oles and !esponsibilities:
# (atabase #dministrator. (atabase #nalyst or (atabase (eveloper is the
person responsible for managing the information within an organi,ation. #s
most companies continue to e$perience inevitable growth of their databases.
these positions are probably the most solid within the /T industry. /n most
cases. it is not an area that is targeted for layofs or downsi,ing. 0n the
downside. however. most database departments are often understafed.
re*uiring adminstrators to perform a multitude of tasks.
(epending on the company and the department. this role can either be highly
speciali,ed or incredibly diverse. The primary role of the (atabase
#dministrator is to adminster. develop. maintain and implement the policies
and procedures necessary to ensure the security and integrity of the
corporate database. 1ub roles within the (atabase #dministrator
classifcation may include security. architecture. warehousing and2or business
analysis. 0ther primary roles will include:
/mplementation of data models
(atabase design
(atabase accessibility
3erformance issues
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4apacity issues
(ata replication
Table Maintainence
"lements of Database System:
(atabase schema
1chema ob5ects
/nde$es
Tables
6ields and columns
7ecords and rows
8eys
7elationships
(ata types
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