Lecture 1 DB

Chapter 1
Introduction: Databases and

Database Users
University year: 1436/1437 Copyright © 2007 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
Fundamentals of Database Systems Lecturer: H.Ben Othmen

Outline
Types of Databases and Database Applications

Basic Definitions
Typical DBMS Functionality
Example of a Database (UNIVERSITY)
Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
Database Users
Advantages of Using the Database Approach
When Not to Use Databases
Fundamentals of Database systems 2 Copyright © 2007 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
Types of Databases and Database Applications
Traditional Applications:
Numeric and Textual Databases
More Recent Applications:
Multimedia Databases
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Data Warehouses
Real-time and Active Databases
Many other applications
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.
Simplified database system environment
Fig 1.1: A Simplified database system environment
Define a particular database in terms of its data types,

structures, and constraints
Construct or Load the initial database contents on a
secondary storage medium
Manipulating the database:
Retrieval: Querying, generating reports
Modification: Insertions, deletions and updates to its
content
Accessing the database through Web applications
Processing and Sharing by a set of concurrent users and
application programs.
Other features:
Protection or Security measures to prevent
unauthorized access
Presentation and Visualization of data
Maintaining the database and associated
programs over the lifetime of the database
application
Called database, software, and system
maintenance
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.
Example of a Database (with a Conceptual Data Model)
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
Note: The above entities and relationships are typically expressed

in a conceptual data model, such as the ENTITY-
RELATIONSHIP data model.
Example of a simple database
Fig 1.2: A database that stores student and course information
Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
Self-describing nature of a database system:

A DBMS catalog stores the description of a particular
database ( data structures, types, and constraints)
The description is called meta-data.
This allows the DBMS software to work with different
database applications.
Insulation between programs and data:
Called program-data independence.
Allows changing data structures and storage
organization.
Example of a simplified database catalog
Fig 1.3 : An example of a database catalog ( for the database in fig 1.2)
Main Characteristics of the Database Approach (continued)
Data Abstraction:
A data model is used to hide storage details and
present the users with a conceptual view of the
database.
Programs refer to the data model constructs rather
than data storage details
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.
Main Characteristics of the Database Approach (continued)
Sharing of data and multi-user transaction processing:

Allowing a set of concurrent users to retrieve from and
to update the database.
Recovery subsystem ensures each completed
transaction has its effect permanently recorded in the
database
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) is a major part of
database applications. This allows hundreds of
concurrent transactions to execute per second.
Database Users
Users may be divided into

Those who actually use and control the database
content, and those who design, develop and maintain
database applications (called “Actors on the Scene”),
Those who design and develop the DBMS software and

related tools, and the computer systems operators
(called “Workers Behind the Scene”).
Database Users (Continued)
Actors on the scene

Database administrators: Responsible for authorizing access to
the database, for coordinating and monitoring its use, acquiring
software and hardware resources, controlling its use and
monitoring efficiency of operations.
Database Designers: Responsible to define the content, the
structure, the constraints, and functions or transactions against
the database. They must communicate with the end-users and
understand their needs.
End-users: They use the data for queries, reports and some of
them update the database content.
Advantages of Using the Database Approach
Controlling redundancy in data storage and in

development and maintenance efforts.
The data is shared by all users
Restricting unauthorized access to data (Need to improve
data consistency and control access to data).
The data security and privacy can be managed and
ensured because the data entry in the database occurs
once only and is protected by the security measures.
Providing persistent storage for program Objects
Advantages of Using the Database Approach (continued)
Providing Storage Structures for efficient Query

Processing.
Providing backup and recovery services.
Providing multiple interfaces to different classes of
users.
Representing complex relationships among data.
Enforcing integrity constraints on the database.
Need to reduce long lead times and high cost in new
application development
Lots of data shared through out the organization
Historical Development of Database Technology
Early Database Applications:

The Hierarchical and Network Models were introduced in
mid 1960s and dominated during the seventies.
A bulk of the worldwide database processing still occurs
using these models, particularly, the hierarchical model.
Relational Model based Systems:
Relational model was originally introduced in 1970, was
heavily researched and experimented within IBM
Research and several universities.
Relational DBMS Products emerged in the early 1980s.
Historical Development of Database Technology (continued)
Object-oriented and emerging applications:

Object-Oriented Database Management Systems
(OODBMSs) were introduced in late 1980s and early
1990s to cater to the need of complex data processing.
Many relational DBMSs have incorporated object
database concepts, leading to a new category called
object-relational DBMSs (ORDBMSs)
Extended relational systems add further capabilities
(multimedia data, XML, and other data types)
Historical Development of Database Technology (continued)
Data on the Web and E-commerce Applications:

Web contains data in HTML (Hypertext markup
language) with links among pages.
This has given rise to a new set of applications and E-
commerce is using new standards like XML (eXtended
Markup Language).
Script programming languages such as PHP and
JavaScript allow generation of dynamic Web pages that
are partially generated from a database.
Also allow database updates through Web pages
Extending Database Capabilities
New functionality is being added to DBMSs in the

following areas:
Scientific Applications
XML (eXtensible Markup Language)
Image Storage and Management
Audio and Video Data Management
Data Warehousing and Data Mining
Spatial Data Management
Time Series and Historical Data Management
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, concurrency control,
recovery, and integrity functions.
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 not to use a DBMS
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.

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Chapter 1

Introduction: Databases and

Fundamentals of Database Systems Lecturer: H.Ben Othmen

Types of Databases and Database Applications

Fig 1.1: A Simplified database system environment

Define a particular database in terms of its data types,

Mini-world for the example:

Some mini-world relationships:

Note: The above entities and relationships are typically expressed

Fig 1.2: A database that stores student and course information

Self-describing nature of a database system:

Sharing of data and multi-user transaction processing:

Users may be divided into

Those who design and develop the DBMS software and

Actors on the scene

Controlling redundancy in data storage and in

Providing Storage Structures for efficient Query

Early Database Applications:

Object-oriented and emerging applications:

Data on the Web and E-commerce Applications:

New functionality is being added to DBMSs in the

Main inhibitors (costs) of using a DBMS:

When no DBMS may suffice:

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