IFN 554

Databases
Lecture 1: Introduction, Data Modeling

School of Information Systems

Faculty
IFN 554: of
Databases Science
School of Information Systems
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS
QUT acknowledges the Turrbal and Yugara, as the First Nations
owners of the lands where QUT now stands. We pay respect to
their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. We recognise
that these lands have always been places of teaching, research
and learning. ​
QUT acknowledges the important role Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people play within the QUT community.​

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Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate knowledge of conceptual data modelling principles to understand, analyse and
capture an abstraction of the complex data aspect of business domains;

2. Develop rigorous database design underpinned by conceptual data model.

3. Apply standard querying techniques to the retrieval and manipulation of data.
4. Generate effective, ethical and culturally sensitive solutions to database
management problems.
5. Apply visual and written communication techniques to explain how the proposed design
and solution meets data management needs

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Unit Outline
Week Topic Learning Objectives
Understand the concept of data, information and database.
Week 1 Data Modelling Design a basic conceptual schema using ORM, data modelling
language.
Understand how to validate and add required constraints
Week 2 Data Modelling and Rmapping to the basic schema.
Map conceptual schemas to relational database schemas.
Understand how to increase the integrity of data through
Week 3 SQL normalisation. Design and update relational databases
using SQL.

Week 4 SQL Query relational databases using SQL.

Manage security and transactions on databases and ensure

Week 5 Data Management
use of data is ethical.

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About this unit
• This unit is open to anyone with a Bachelors qualification – you will all have differing backgrounds

• Students will have varying levels of IT skills and experience

• For some – the content will be revision or a refresh

• For some – the content will be new and may need to apply additional time to learn concepts

• Six (6) week unit

• No new materials in week 6 – session will be help to support final assessment

• 2 assessments NO exam

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Introduction to Databases
Data, Information and Databases
Organisations collect and use data to provide useful information for business success.

Data is defined as facts that are stored in a database. Data sent to a computer for processing (by
information systems) is considered input.

Information is the output of the processes. An example of output is anything viewed on your computer
monitor screen (e.g., customer information, order history, etc.).

Database is a shared collection of logically related data and a description of this data. It is based on the
mathematical concept of relation that is why databases are known as Relational Databases.

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Different Forms of Data
Collection of raw facts is called data;

• Data can be in different forms

Text Number Image, Audio, Video…

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Information
Information = Data + Semantics

Data: items stored in a database (meaningless, just text, number…).

Semantics: the meaning of the items stored in the database (e.g. student information, unit
information, and so on).
Information Systems comprise an integrated set of components for collecting, storing and
processing data and providing information.
One of these components is the Database!

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Example of a Database
student number, unit code, grade
QUT
Database
Students Grade data

Student data
name, student number, etc.
QUT Canvas

Unit data
Unit code, unit name, lecturer, etc..

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Database Management Systems (DBMS)
DBMS is a software system designed to store, manage, and provide access to
database.

Some DBMS examples include: The functionalities of a DBMS

• MySQL • Create/define/manage the database
• Oracle (Blackboard uses it) • Manage and administer data within the database
• Microsoft Access • Provide control access to the database
• SQL Server
• SQLite
• SQL Workbench (you will use this in
in IFN554)

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Database Management Systems (DBMS)
A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a DBMS that is based on the relational model.
It is a set of formally described (structured) tables.
All data is held in tables, which are made up of rows and columns

IFN 554: Databases

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Modelling Data
Data Database

2. Design relational
database tables
(Data modelling)

1. Collect data 3. Physically store data

(interviews, observations, in the systems

documents, etc.)
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Bad Designs
Databases are considered long term investments (over 20 years or more).

A badly-designed relational database table will cause the consumption of additional time, effort and
resources to fix it.

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Source: https://sites.psu.edu/rmk5309/blogs/design-topics/bad-design/
 Example of a Bad Design
Cruise club voting form

Good design or Bad design for the voting form?

Member Nr. Password Motion Nr. Motion text Option

33 password 52 Ban smoking in restaurant Approve

34 qwerty 52 Ban smoking in restaurant Approve

35 ababahalamaha 53 Change ship name to “Titanic” Approve

IFN 554: Databases
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 Example of a Bad Design
Cruise club voting form

Repeated Information!

Good design or Bad design for the voting form?

Member Nr. Password Motion Nr. Motion text Option

33 password 52 Ban smoking in restaurant Approve

34 qwerty 52 Ban smoking in restaurant Approve

35 ababahalamaha 53 Change ship name to “Titanic” Approve
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Good Designs
A well-designed database:

• The facts are correct and easy to access

• Help to achieve the company’s objectives and goals

• Reduce the cost of (expensive) application development

• Reduce/remove polluted information (poor corporate decisions and litigation)

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Structure of Tables
Movie:
Table name Movie Movie Title Released Director
Nr

Primary 1 Cosmology 2006 Lee Lafferty Record (row/tuple)

Key Column (attribute)
2 Kung Fu Hustle 2004 Stephen
Chow Starred:
3 The Secret 1987 Alan Grint MovieNr Stars
Garden
2 Stephen Chow

4 The Secret 1993 Agnieszka 3 Gennie James

Garden Holland
3 Barret Oliver
5 The Da Vinci 2006 Ron
Code 4 Kate Maberly

4 Heydon Prowse

5 Tom Hanks

The two tables are related Foreign Key 5 Ian McKellen

5 Audrey Tautou

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Structure of Tables
Data in relational database:
 Every table (relation) must have a unique name.

 Each column (attribute) within a table must have a unique name.

 Each record (row/tuple) in a table must be unique. There should be at least one uniqueness
constraint (usually called a primary key or key).

 Each column (attribute) of a table must be of a specific data type and have a specification
of allowable values (domain) (a null may/may not be allowable).

 Each table in the database must be related (foreign key).

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Universe of Discourse (UoD)
We design a database for a particular application (business domain).
We create a model of the area (some parts of the real world).

Modelers

Domain experts

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Three Level Architecture
User 1 User 2 User n

External level View 1 View 2 … View n

The three-level architecture is
the basis of most of the
modern databases: Conceptual level
Conceptual
Schema
• Physical level,
• Conceptual level and Internal
Internal level
Schema
• External level

Physical data
organisation
Database

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The figure is taken from textbook2, chapter 2
Three Level Architecture
External level:
The highest level in the architecture. It only shows the relevant database
content to the users in the form of views and hides the rest of the data.

Conceptual level:
It is also known as the logical level. It describes how the database appears to the users
conceptually and the relationships between various data tables.
* We will use ORM (Object Role Modelling) to specify the UoD.

Internal level:
This is the lowest level in the three-level architecture. It is also known as the physical level. It describes
how data is actually stored in the database. In the level, this data is stored in the computer.

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Conceptual Schema
• Conceptual schema is a consistent collection of sentences expressing the necessary propositions
that hold for a UoD (e.g., Employee works in Department, each Student is enrolled in one Course).

• It is a high-level description of a business's informational needs.

• The three components are:

1. Basic fact types of entities (e.g., employee, student)
2. Relationships (e.g., works in, enrolled in)
3. Constraints (validation/integrity rules) and derivations (rules/functions that allow new facts to
be inferred)

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Selection Criteria
The criteria for evaluating conceptual modelling languages.
• Expressibility (100% Principle, Completeness)
• Clarity
• Semantic stability
• Semantic relevance (Conceptualization Principle)
• Validation mechanisms (Validity, Correctness)
• Abstraction mechanisms
• Formal foundation (Prove properties, Unambiguity, Correct Implementation)

ORM satisfies all of these criteria! ERD satisfies some.

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Conceptual Schema Design
Conceptual Schema Design Procedure
The conceptual schema design procedure (CSDP) for ORM is performed in seven steps.
Step 1: Transform familiar examples into elementary facts, and apply quality checks

Step 2: Draw the fact types, and apply a population check

Step 3: Check for entity types to be combined, and note any arithmetic derivations

Step 4: Add uniqueness constraints, and check the arity (length) of fact types

Step 5: Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations

Step 6: Add value, set-comparison and subtyping constraints

Step 7: Add other constraints and perform final checks

IFN 554: Databases

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Conceptual Schema Design Procedure
The conceptual schema design procedure (CSDP) for ORM is performed in seven steps.

Step 1: Transform familiar examples into elementary facts, and apply quality checks
Steps for
Step 2: Draw the fact types, and apply a population check creating basic
schema
Step 3: Check for entity types to be combined, and note any arithmetic derivations

Step 4: Add uniqueness constraints, and check the arity (length) of fact types

Step 5: Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations Steps for
adding
Step 6: Add value, set-comparison and subtyping constraints required
constraints
Step 7: Add other constraints and perform final checks

IFN 554: Databases

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CSDP STEP 1
CSDP Step 1
Transform familiar examples into elementary facts and apply quality checks.

The Example of a Fact Table (left) and the

Elementary Facts (below)

 Fact: taken to be true by users of the domain.

 Elementary fact: an atomic proposition about the domain. It is a
assertion that particular objects play particular roles.
The Athlete with name ‘Jones EM’ pole vaults the Height of 400 cm.
The Athlete with name ‘Pie QT’ pole vaults the Height of 450 cm.
The Height of 550 cm. was vaulted by the Athlete with name ‘Smith JA’

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CSDP Step 1
Transform familiar examples into elementary facts and apply quality checks.

The Athlete entity type

entity

with name reference mode

‘Jones EM’ value

Pole vaults predicate/role

the Height entity type

entity

with cm reference mode

‘400’. value
IFN 554: Databases
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