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DBMS: Basic Concepts

1. Introduction
2. Disadvantages of file oriented approach
3. Database
4. Why Database
5. Database Management System(DBMS)
6. Function of DBMS
7. Advantages of DBMS and disadvantage of DBMS
8. Database Basics
9. Three level architecture of DBMS
10. Database users
11. Database language
12. Database structure

Introduction:

In computerized information system data is the basic resource of the organization.

So, proper organization and management for data is required fro organization to run
smoothly. Database management system deals the knowledge of how data stored and
managed on a computerized information system. In any organization, it requires accurate
and reliable data for better decision making, ensuring privacy of data and controlling data
efficiently.
The examples include deposit and/or withdrawal from a bank,hotel,airline or railway
reservation, purchase items from supermarkets in all cases, a database is accessed.

What is data:

Data is the known facts or figures that have implicit meaning. It can also be defined as it
is the representation of facts ,concepts or instruction in a formal manner, which is suitable
for understanding and processing. Data can be represented in alphabets(A-Z, a-z),in
digits(0-9) and using special characters(+,-.#,$, etc)
e.g: 25, “ajit” etc.

Information:

Information is the processed data on which decisions and actions are based. Information
can be defined as the organized and classified data to provide meaningful values.

Eg: “The age of Ravi is 25”

File:
File is a collection of related data stored in secondary memory.
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File Oriented approach:

The traditional file oriented approach to information processing has for each application a
separate master file and its own set of personal file. In file oriented approach the program
dependent on the files and files become dependent on the files and files become
dependents upon the programs
Disadvantages of file oriented approach:
1) Data redundancy and inconsistency:
The same information may be written in several files. This redundancy leads to
higher storage and access cost. It may lead data inconsistency that is the various
copies of the same data may longer agree for example a changed customer
address may be reflected in single file but not else where in the system.

2) Difficulty in accessing data :

The conventional file processing system do not allow data to retrieved in a
convenient and efficient manner according to user choice.

3) Data isolation :
Because data are scattered in various file and files may be in different formats
with new application programs to retrieve the appropriate data is difficult.
4) Integrity Problems:
Developers enforce data validation in the system by adding appropriate code in
the various application program. How ever when new constraints are added, it is
difficult to change the programs to enforce them.

5) Atomicity:

It is difficult to ensure atomicity in a file processing system when transaction

failure occurs due to power failure, networking problems etc.
(atomicity: either all operations of the transaction are reflected properly in
the database or non are)
6) Concurrent access:
In the file processing system it is not possible to access a same file for
transaction at same time
7) Security problems:
There is no security provided in file processing system to secure the data from
unauthorized user access.
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Database:
A database is organized collection of related data of an organization stored in
formatted way which is shared by multiple users.
The main feature of data in a database are:

1. It must be well organized

2. it is related
3. It is accessible in a logical order without any difficulty
4. It is stored only
once for example:
consider the roll no, name, address of a student stored in a student file. It is collection of
related data with an implicit meaning.
Data in the database may be persistent, integrated and shared.

Persistent:
If data is removed from database due to some explicit request from user to remove.
Integrated:
A database can be a collection of data from different files and when any redundancy
among those files are removed from database is said to be integrated data.
Sharing Data:
The data stored in the database can be shared by multiple users simultaneously with out
affecting the correctness of data.

Why Database:

In order to overcome the limitation of a file system, a new approach was required.
Hence a database approach emerged. A database is a persistent collection of logically
related data. The initial attempts were to provide a centralized collection of data. A
database has a self describing nature. It contains not only the data sharing and integration
of data of an organization in a single database.

A small database can be handled manually but for a large database and having
multiple users it is difficult to maintain it, In that case a computerized database is useful.
The advantages of database system over traditional, paper based methods of record
keeping are:
 compactness:
No need for large amount of paper files
 speed:
The machine can retrieve and modify the data more faster way then human being
 Less drudgery: Much of the maintenance of files by hand is eliminated
 Accuracy: Accurate,up-to-date information is fetched as per requirement of the
user at any time.
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Database Management System (DBMS):
A database management system consists of collection of related data and refers to a set of
programs for defining, creation, maintenance and manipulation of a database.

Function of DBMS:

1. Defining database schema: it must give facility for defining the database
structure also specifies access rights to authorized users.
2. Manipulation of the database: The dbms must have functions like insertion of
record into database updation of data, deletion of data, retrieval of data
3. Sharing of database: The DBMS must share data items for multiple users
by maintaining consistency of data.
4. Protection of database: It must protect the database against unauthorized users.
5. Database recovery: If for any reason the system fails DBMS must facilitate data
base recovery.

Advantages of dbms:

Reduction of redundancies:

Centralized control of data by the DBA avoids unnecessary duplication of data and
effectively reduces the total amount of data storage required avoiding duplication in the
elimination of the inconsistencies that tend to be present in redundant data files.

Sharing of data:

A database allows the sharing of data under its control by any number of application
programs or users.

Data Integrity:

Data integrity means that the data contained in the database is both accurate and
consistent. Therefore data values being entered for storage could be checked to ensure
that they fall with in a specified range and are of the correct format.

Data Security:

The DBA who has the ultimate responsibility for the data in the dbms can ensure that
proper access procedures are followed including proper authentication schemas for access
to the DBS and additional check before permitting access to sensitive data.

Conflict resolution:

DBA resolve the conflict on requirements of various user and applications. The DBA
chooses the best file structure and access method to get optional performance for the
application.
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Data Independence:

Data independence is usually considered from two points of views; physically data
independence and logical data independence.
Physical data Independence allows changes in the physical storage devices or
organization of the files to be made without requiring changes in the conceptual view or
any of the external views and hence in the application programs using the data base.
Logical data independence indicates that the conceptual schema can be changed without
affecting the existing external schema or any application program.

Disadvantage of DBMS:
1. DBMS software and hardware (networking installation) cost is high
2. The processing overhead by the dbms for implementation of security, integrity
and sharing of the data.
3. centralized database control
4. Setup of the database system requires more knowledge, money, skills, and time.
5. The complexity of the database may result in poor performance.

Database Basics:

Data item:
The data item is also called as field in data processing and is the smallest unit of data
that has meaning to its users.
Eg: “e101”,”sumit”

Entities and attributes:

An entity is a thing or object in the real world that is distinguishable from all other
objects
Eg:
Bank,employee,student
Attributes are properties are properties of an
entity. Eg:
Empcode,ename,rolno,name

Logical data and physical data :

Logical data are the data for the table created by user in primary
memory. Physical data refers to the data stored in the secondary
memory.

Schema and sub-schema :

A schema is a logical data base description and is drawn as a chart of

the types of data that are used . It gives the names of the entities and attributes and
specify the relationships between them.

A database schema includes such information as :

 Characteristics of data items such as entities and attributes .

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 Logical structures and relationships among these data items .
 Format for storage representation.
 Integrity parameters such as physical authorization and back up policies.

A subschema is derived schema derived from existing schema as per the user
requirement. There may be more then one subschema create for a single conceptual
schema.

Three level architecture of DBMS :

External level View View View

user1 User2 User n

Conceptual
level
Mapping supplied by DBMS

Conceptual view

Mapping supplied by DBMS/OS

Internal level

A database management system that provides three level of data is said to follow three-
level architecture .
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External level:
 External level
 Conceptual level
 Internal level

The external level is at the highest level of database abstraction . At this level, there
will be many views define for different users requirement. A view will describe only a
subset of the database. Any number of user views may exist for a given global or
subschema.

for example , each student has different view of the time table. the view of a student of
Btech (CSE) is different from the view of the student of Btech(ECE).Thus this level of
abstraction is concerned with different categories of users.
Each external view is described by means of a schema called schema or
schema.

Conceptual level :
At this level of database abstraction all the database entities and the
relationships among them are included . One conceptual view represents the entire
database . This conceptual view is defined by the conceptual schema.

The conceptual schema hides the details of physical storage structures and concentrate on
describing entities , data types, relationships, user operations and constraints.

It describes all the records and relationships included in the conceptual view
. There is only one conceptual schema per database . It includes feature that specify the
checks to relation data consistency and integrity.

Internal level :
It is the lowest level of abstraction closest to the physical storage method used .
It indicates how the data will be stored and describes the data structures and access
methods to be used by the database . The internal view is expressed by internal schema.
The following aspects are considered at this level:
1. Storage allocation e.g: B-tree,hashing
2. access paths eg. specification of primary and secondary keys,indexes etc
3. Miscellaneous eg. Data compression and encryption techniques,optimization of
the internal structures.
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Database users :

Naive users :
Users who need not be aware of the presence of the database system or any other
system supporting their usage are considered naïve users . A user of an automatic teller
machine falls on this category.

Online users :
These are users who may communicate with the database directly via an online
terminal or indirectly via a user interface and application program. These users are
aware of the database system and also know the data manipulation language system.

Application programmers :

Professional programmers who are responsible for developing application programs

or user interfaces utilized by the naïve and online user falls into this category.

Database Administration :
A person who has central control over the system is called database administrator .
The function of DBA are :
1. creation and modification of conceptual Schema
definition
2. Implementation of storage structure and access method.
3. schema and physical organization modifications .
4. granting of authorization for data access.
5. Integrity constraints specification.
6. Execute immediate recovery procedure in case of failures
7. ensure physical security to database

Database language :
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1) Data definition language(DDL) :

DDL is used to define database objects .The conceptual schema is
specified by a set of definitions expressed by this language. It also give some
details about how to implement this schema in the physical devices used to store
the data. This definition includes all the entity sets and their associated attributes
and their relation ships. The result of DDL statements will be a set of tables that
are stored in special file called data dictionary.

2) Data manipulation language(DML) :

A DML is a language that enables users to access or manipulate data stored in
the database. Data manipulation involves retrieval of data from the database,
insertion of new data into the database and deletion of data or modification of
existing data.
There are basically two types of DML:
 procedural: Which requires a user to specify what data is needed and
how to get it.
 non-rocedural: which requires a user to specify what data is needed
with out specifying how to get it.

3) Data control language(DCL):

This language enables user to grant authorization and canceling
authorization of database objects.

Elements of DBMS:

DML pre-compiler:

It converts DML statement embedded in an application program to normal procedure

calls in the host language. The pre-complier must interact with the query processor in
order to generate the appropriate code.

DDL compiler:

The DDL compiler converts the data definition statements into a set of tables. These
tables contains information concerning the database and are in a form that can be used by
other components of the dbms.
File manager:

File manager manages the allocation of space on disk storage and the data structure used
to represent information stored on disk.

Database manager:

A database manager is a program module which provides the interface between the low
level data stored in the database and the application programs and queries submitted to
the system.
The responsibilities of database manager are:
1. Interaction with file manager: The data is stored on the disk using the file
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system which is provided by operating system. The database manager
translate the the different DML statements into low-level file system
commands. so The database manager is responsible for the actual
storing,retrieving and updating of data in the database.
2. Integrity enforcement:The data values stored in the database must satisfy
certain constraints(eg: the age of a person can't be less then zero).These
constraints are specified by DBA. Data manager checks the constraints and if
it satisfies then it stores the data in the database.
3. Security enforcement:Data manager checks the security measures for
database from unauthorized users.
4. Backup and recovery:Database manager detects the failures occurs due to
different causes (like disk failure, power failure,deadlock,s/w error) and
restores the database to original state of the database.

5. Concurrency control:When several users access the same database file

simultaneously, there may be possibilities of data inconsistency. It is
responsible of database manager to control the problems occurs for concurrent
transactions.
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query processor:
The query processor used to interpret to online user’s query and convert it into an
efficient series of operations in a form capable of being sent to the data manager for
execution. The query processor uses the data dictionary to find the details of data file
and using this information it create query plan/access plan to execute the query.
Data Dictionary:
Data dictionary is the table which contains the information about database objects. It
contains information like
1. external, conceptual and internal database description
2. description of entities , attributes as well as meaning of data elements
3. synonyms, authorization and security codes
4. database authorization
The data stored in the data dictionary is called meta data.

DBMS STRUCTURE:

Naïve user Application On line user DBA

programers

Application System calls Ddl compiler

programs

Application prog Dml precomplier Query processor Ddl compiler

obj code

Database manager

File manager

DBMS

Data file

Data dictionary
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