Fundamentals of database systems

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 Chapter one introduction
Outline
 Introduction to database system
 File based verses Database approach
 Characteristics of the Database Approach
 Users and actors of Database system

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Introduction to database system
A database is a collection of related data. we
mean known facts that can be recorded and
that have implicit meaning. For example,
consider the names, tele-phone numbers, and
addresses of the people you know. You may
have recorded this data in an indexed address
book or you may have stored it on a hard
drive, using a personal computer and software
such as Microsoft Access or Excel. This
collection of related data with an implicit
meaning is a database.

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Cont’d…………
A database has the following implicit properties:
 A database represents some aspect of the real
world, sometimes called the mini world or the
universe of discourse (UoD).
 A database is a logically coherent collection of
data with some inherent meaning. A random
assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to
as a database.
 A database is designed, built, and populated with
data for a specific purpose. It has an intended
group of users and some preconceived
applications in which these users are interested.

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Cont’d…………
A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of
programs that enables users to create and maintain a
database.
The DBMS is a general-purpose software sys-tem that
facilitates the processes of defining, constructing,
manipulating, and sharing databases among various users
and applications.
Defining a database involves specifying the data types,
structures, and constraints of the data to be stored in the
data-base. The database definition or descriptive
information is also stored by the DBMS in the form of a
database catalog or dictionary; it is called meta-data.
Constructing the database is the process of storing the data
on some storage medium that is con-trolled by the DBMS.

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Cont’d…………
A typical large database may have a life cycle of many years, so the
DBMS must be able to maintain the database system by allowing the
system to evolve as requirements change over time. To complete our
initial definitions, we will call the database and DBMS software
together a database system.

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 File-Based Approach verses
Database Approach
File-based System
File-based systems were an early attempt to
computerize the manual filing system. File-
based system is a collection of application
programs that perform services for the end-
users. Each program defines and manages its
data. Each user defines and creates with a
specific software the files he needs for a
specific application e.g.. Spread sheet
However, five types of problem are occurred in
using the file-based approach:
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 Problems Of using file based
approach
 Separation and isolation of data
When data is isolated in separate files, it is more
difficult for us to access data that should be
available.
 Duplication of data
i. Duplication is wasteful
ii. Duplication can lead to
loss of data integrity
 Data dependence
The physical structure and storage of the data files
and records are defined in the application program
code.

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 Incompatible file formats
The structures of the file are dependent on the
application programming language. However file
structure provided in one programming language such
as direct file, indexed-sequential file which is available
in COBOL programming, may be different from the
structure generated by other programming language
such as C.
 Fixed queries / proliferation of application programs
File-based systems are very dependent upon the
application programmer. Any required queries or
reports have to be written by the application
programmer.

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Database Approach:
In order to overcome the limitations of the file-based approach,
the concept of database and the Database Management System
(DMS) was emerged in 60s.
advantages of data base approach
1,Control of data redundancy
The database approach attempts to eliminate the redundancy by
integrating the file.
2,Data consistency
By eliminating or controlling redundancy, the database approach
reduces the risk of inconsistencies occurring.
3,More information from the same amount of data
With the integration of the operated data in the database
approach, it may be possible to derive additional information for
the same data.

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4,Sharing of data
5,Improved data integrity
6,Improved security
7,Enforcement of standards
The integration of the database enforces the
necessary standards including data formats,
naming conventions, documentation
standards, update procedures and access
rules.
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Cont’d………….
8,Economy of scale
9,Balance of conflicting requirements
10,Improved data accessibility and responsiveness
By having an integration in the database approach, data
accessing can be crossed departmental boundaries.
11,Increased productivity
12,Improved maintenance
Database approach provides a data independence. As a
change of data structure in the database will be affect
the application program, it simplifies database
application maintenance.
13,Increased concurrency
14,Improved backing and recovery services

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Disadvantage of database approcah
A. Complexity
B. Size
C. Cost of DBMS
D. Cost of conversion
E. Performance
F. Higher impact of a failure

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 Characteristics of database
approach
The main characteristics of the database
approach versus the file-processing
approach are the following:
 Self-describing nature of a database system
 Insulation between programs and data, and
data abstraction
 Support of multiple views of the data
 Sharing of data and multiuser transaction
processing

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Self-Describing Nature of a
Database System
A fundamental characteristic of the database approach is that the
database system contains not only the database itself but also a
complete definition or description of the database structure and
constraints. This definition is stored in the DBMS catalog,
which contains information such as the structure of each file, the
type and storage format of each data item, and various
constraints on the data. The information stored in the catalog is
called meta-data, and it describes the structure of the primary
database.

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Insulation between Programs and Data,
and Data Abstraction
In traditional file processing, the structure of data files is
embedded in the application programs, so any changes
to the structure of a file may require changing all pro-
grams that access that file. By contrast, DBMS access
programs do not require such changes in most cases.
The structure of data files is stored in the DBMS catalog
separately from the access programs. We call this
property program-data independence.

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Support of Multiple Views of the
Data
A database typically has many users, each
of whom may require a different
perspective or view of the database. A view
may be a subset of the database or it may
contain virtual data that is derived from the
database files but is not explicitly stored.

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Sharing of data and multiuser
transaction processing
A multiuser DBMS, as its name implies, must allow multiple
users to access the data-base at the same time. This is essential if
data for multiple applications is to be integrated and maintained
in a single database. The concept of a transaction has become
central to many database applications. A transaction is an
executing program or process that includes one or more
database accesses, such as reading or updating of database
records.

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Users and actors of Database system

1.Database administrator (DBA)

The DBA is responsible for authorizing
access to the database, coordinating and
monitoring its use, and acquiring software
and hardware resources as needed. The
DBA is accountable for problems such as
security breaches and poor system response
time.

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Cont’d………………………..
2.Database designers
are responsible for identifying the data to be
stored in the data-base and for choosing
appropriate structures to represent and store
this data.
It is the responsibility of database designers
to communicate with all prospective
database users in order to understand their
requirements and to create a design that
meets these requirements.
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Cont’d………….
3.End users
are the people whose jobs require access to
the database for querying,
updating, and generating reports; the
database primarily exists for their use.
There are several categories of end users:
A, Casual end users occasionally access the
database, but they may need different
information each time.
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Cont’d……
B, Naive or parametric end users make up a sizable portion of database
end users. Their main job function revolves around constantly
querying and updating the database, using standard types of queries
and updates.
C, Sophisticated end users include engineers, scientists, business
analysts, and others who thoroughly familiarize themselves with the
facilities of the DBMS in order to implement their own applications to
meet their complex requirements.
D, Standalone users maintain personal databases by using ready-made
pro-gram packages that provide easy-to-use menu-based or graphics-
based interfaces.

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Cont’d……..
4, System Analysts and Application Programmers
(Software Engineers)
System analysts determine the requirements of end
users, especially naive and parametric end users,
and develop specifications for standard canned
transactions that meet these requirements.
Application programmers implement these
specifications as programs; then they test, debug,
document, and maintain these recorded transactions.

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