Chapter 4: Database Management

1.1 Data Management Data consists of raw facts such as employee numbers and sales figures 1.1.1 File Concepts Data are organized in a hierarchy o Bit (a binary digit) Represent the smallest piece of data a computer can process, on (1) or off (0)

o Byte A group of eight bits, called a byte, (letter, a number or a symbol)

o Field Field is typically a name, number, or combination of characters that describes an characteristic of a business object (e.g. employee no, position) or activity (e.g. sale no, sales amount)

o Record Collection of related data fields. E.g. Student number, student name

o File Collection of related records, E.g. employee file is a collection of all company employee record.

o Database Collection of integrated and related files. E.g. Student file, Exam File

1.2 The Database Approach

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Traditional Approach - Separate data files are created and stored for each application program
Student_File Traditional Approach Some data may be duplicated (require extra storage space) Difficult to access data from more

Stud_I First_Na Last_Na Addre Gend Contact_N D me me ss er o S001 S002 S003 Lim Wong Lau Mei Mei Hui Hui KL Perak Femal 012e 1234567 Femal 013e 1234569 Male 0144567890

Ming Wai KL

Exam_File Stud_I First_Na D me S001 S002 S003 Lim Wong Lau Last_Na Addre Gend Subje Contact_No Grade me ss er ct Mei Mei Hui Hui KL Perak Femal 012e 1234567 Femal 013e 1234569 Male 0144567890 BM BM BM A B C

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Database Approach - Pool of related data is shared by multiple application programs

Exam_File

Stud_I First_Na Last_Na Addre Gend Contact_N Subje Grade D me me ss er o ct S001 S002 S003 Lim Wong Lau Mei Mei Hui Hui KL Perak Femal 012e 1234567 Femal 013e 1234569 Male 0144567890 BM BM BM A B C

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Common Field - to make a relationship

Exam_File Stud_ID S001

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Subject BM

Grade A

Database Approach Reduced data redundancy (store only once) Reduce duplicates & inconsistencies in updating Page 2

Exam_File Stud_ID S002 S003 Subject BM BM Grade B C

1.2.1 The Relational Database Model Based on the concept of two-dimensional tables, called relations. Stores data in tables that consist of rows and columns.

Each row of a table represents a data entity/ tuple Each Columns of the table represent attributes Domain - values can be placed in each column of the relational table Primary key - field or set of fields that uniquely identifies the record. E.g. Customer No.

1.3 Types of Data Files : Master file & Transaction Files Master file
o

Data file containing relatively permanent records that are generally updated periodically.
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Inventory_shoe (Master File) Item_N Item_Descripti Unit_cos Unit_pric Quantit o on t e y A001 A002 Adidas New Balance RM120 RM100 RM160 RM120 10 20

Contains permanent records (remains with the

system as long as the system is in use) Updated periodically Main data

Transaction file
o

Temporary holding file that holds all changes to be made to the master file.
Inventory_shoe (Transaction File) Stock In 10 20

Item_No A001 A002

Date 12/10/2010 12/10/2010

Stock Out 5 8

to the master file (remains with the system only until the transactions are processed) Data about transactions (replace with other transactions 1.4 data for new transactions) Database Management Systems (DBMSs)

Temporary holding file holds all changes to be made

A DBMS is a set of programs that provide users with tools to add, delete, access, and analyze data stored in one location.

Common Function of DBMS 1. Data Dictionary

A repository contains data about each file in the database and each field within those files.

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Uses the data dictionary to perform validation checks.

2.

File Retrieval and Maintenance

Use Query language to retrieve or select data from a database.

3.

Data Security

To specify different access privileges for different users of a DBMS. Access privileges: Actions that can be performed by specific users. To ensure that only authorized users access data at permitted times.

4. Backup and Recovery Backup - Copy the entire database into other storage media. Recovery - Restore a database when it becomes damaged or destroyed. Advantages of using DBMS 1. Reduced data redundancy

Data is organized by the DBMS and stored only once , reduce duplicate data

2.

Improved data integrity Ensures no separate files contain copies of the same piece of data. Reduce duplicates & inconsistencies in updating

3.

Better & easier access to data and information Easy to access and retrieve data from a database, using simple commands

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4. Shared data

Data share over a network, by the entire organization.

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