Database Systems

Introduction to Database Systems

Pushpitha Sandaruwan
Software Engineer
IFS R&D International
+94714969763
sandaru.weerasooriya@gmail.com
Today we discuss…
• History
• Introduction
• Characteristics of Database System
• Different players
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Real example
History
Information is so important ….
• Information plays a major role in day to day business as well as
decision making.
• i.e.
• Banking: Customer details, accounts, loans
• Airlines: Schedules, Reservations
• Credit card transactions
• Sales: customer, product, inventory, purchase

• Managing, storing, protecting and retrieving data was a common

problem specially for large volumes
Before the computer….
• Manual file handling was the only method that used to store
information.
Early ages of computer …
• Flat file based data storages

File Handling Routines

Data Entry & Reports

File Definitions

Library Files
Library Library Application Program
File based system
• File based systems were developed as better alternatives to paper
based filing systems
• Collection of application programs that perform services for the users
wishing to access information.
• Each program within a file based system defines and manages its own
data
• In the business…
• It was common practice for larger companies to have each of its departments
looking after its own data
File based system
• Data separation and isolation.
• Data dependence.
• Data duplication.
• Incompatible data (different file formats).
• Lack of flexibility in organizing and querying the data.
• Increased number of different application programs
Introduction
Terminology for Intro…
• 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.
Database Management System (DBMS)

• A software package/ system to facilitate the creation and

maintenance of a computerized database.
DBMS Functions
Data Integrity
Management
DATA Dictionary
Security Management
Management

Data Storage Multiuser Access

Management DBMS Control

Database Access
Languages and Backup and Recovery
Application Programming Presentation and Management
Interfaces Visualization of data
Database System

• The DBMS software together with the data itself. Sometimes, the
applications are also included.
High level architecture…
Characteristics of Database System
• Self-describing 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.
Cont…

• 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
• Sharing of data and multiuser transaction processing :
• allowing a set of concurrent users to retrieve and to update the database.
Concurrency control within the DBMS guarantees that each transaction is
correctly executed or completely aborted.
Common Database Systems
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages over file based system..
• Shared Data (Separation & Isolation)
• Minimal redundancies (Duplication of Data)
• Minimal inconsistency
• Support for “Transaction” (Fixed Queries)
• Integrity
• Security
• Enforce standards (Incompatible File Formats)
• Economy of scale
• Improved backup and recovery
• Providing persistent storage
Disadvantages of database system..
• Complexity
• Size
• Cost of DBMS
• Additional hardware cost
• Cost of conversions
• Performance
• Higher impact of failure
Different Players
Behind the scene

• DBMS Designers & Implementers

• Tool Developers
• Hardware & Software environments providers & maintainers
Actors in the Scene

• Database system Administrators

• Designers
• Application Programmers
• End Users
Real Example
Scenario…

Your university ask you to create a database to store student data.

Analyzing the scenario…

• Mini World : Part of a university environment

• Some mini world entities :

• STUDENTs
• COURSEs
• SECTIONs (of COURCEs)
• (academic) DEPARTMENTs
• INSTRUCTORs
Cont…

• 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
Entities…
Usage…

• Queries :
• Retrieve the transcript—a list of all courses and grades—of ‘Smith’
• List the names of students who took the section of the ‘Database’ course
offered in fall 2008 and their grades in that section
• List the prerequisites of the ‘Database’ course
• Updates
• Change the class of ‘Smith’ to sophomore
• Create a new section for the ‘Database’ course for this semester
• Enter a grade of ‘A’ for ‘Smith’ in the ‘Database’ section of last semester
Summary
summary

• What is a database
• DBMS and Database System
• Characteristics of Database System
• Different Players
• Advantages and Disadvantages
To be continued ….