Chapter 1 Introduction

Database Systems:
Introduction to Databases
and Data Warehouses

By Jukic, Vrbsky, & Nestorov

Business Intelligence
and Analytics

Professor Traci Hess

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 1

Overview

• BI & Analytics Infrastructure

• Initial database terminology
• Database systems and DBMS
• Database development process
• Database roles

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 2

 Business Intelligence Infrastructure
Module 1: Module 2: Analytical Database Module 3:
Operational Systems (Data warehouse) Visualization
Database and OLAP
No data marts option
Systems Data Applications
Sources (Visualization)
(OLTP) Access
Routine
ERP Business
ETL
Reporting
Process Data mart
(Marketing)
Select

/ Middleware
Legacy Metadata Data/text
Extract mining
Data mart
(Engineering)
Transform Enterprise
POS Data warehouse
OLAP,
Integrate

API
Data mart Dashboard,
(Finance) Web
Other Load
OLTP/wEB
Replication Data mart
(...) Custom built
External
applications
data

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 3

INITIAL TERMINOLOGY
• Data
– Stored representations of objects and events that have meaning and
importance in the user’s environment
– Structured data: numbers, dates, times, text
– Unstructured data: images, video, documents
• Information
– Data that has been processed and converted into a form that is useful
to the decision maker

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 4

INITIAL TERMINOLOGY

• Metadata: data that describes the structure and the properties

of the data
• Essential for proper
understanding & use of data
• Data about data
• Example of data without
metadata 

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 5

INITIAL TERMINOLOGY

Example of data with metadata

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 6

INITIAL TERMINOLOGY
• Database (DB)
– Structured collection of related data stored on a computer medium
– Organizes the data to facilitate efficient
access to information captured in the data
• Database metadata
– Represents structure of the database Everything in Access table
– Contains: design view is metadata!

• Names of data structures (table and field names)

• Data types (integer, string, date, etc.)
• Data descriptions and other characteristics of data
(index, required, validation rules, field size, etc.)

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 7

Chapter 1 – Slide 7
INITIAL TERMINOLOGY

• Database management system (DBMS)

– Software that supports creation of databases, and
– Insertion, storage, retrieval, update, and deletion of data in database
– Maintenance of databases
– A DBMS can support multiple databases (DB)
• Database system (DS)
– Computer-based system: includes DB or DBs, DBMS and front-end
applications
– Enables efficient interaction between users and information in database
through front-end applications
Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 8

Chapter 1 – Slide 8
INITIAL TERMINOLOGY
Typical database system (DS) architecture

Indirect interaction Direct interaction

Includes:
• Database(s)
• DMBS
• Front-end
application(s)

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 9

DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS (iterative process)
Team of users Team of users
Developer,
& analysts Data Business Designer, & analysts End users
Software
analyst analyst Modeler engineer

Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 5

Ch. 6

Database
administrator
Ch. 9 Ch. 10 (DBA)

Developer,
Software
engineer
Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 10
DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS

• Requirements collection, definition, and visualization

– Specifies data to be stored in future database system
– Specifies capabilities and functionalities of database system
– Collected requirements should be clearly defined, documented, and
visualized
– Conceptual data model
(ER diagram) results from this step
– Roles: Team of users,
database analyst,
and business analyst

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 11

DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS

• Database modeling
– Creation of database model that is implementable by the DBMS software
– Logical database model (relational schema) is created during this
step based on the conceptual
database model (ER Diagram
created in prior step)
– Roles: database designer,
data modeler

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 12

DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS

• Database implementation
– Using a DBMS to implement model as an actual database
– Most modern databases are implemented using a relational DBMS
(RDBMS) software
– Roles: Database developer, software engineer, writes code

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 13

DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS

• Developing front-end applications

– Design and create applications for indirect use by end-users
– Based on database model and requirements analysis
– Contain interfaces
(e.g., forms and reports)
accessible via menu
– Roles: Database developer,
software engineer, writes code

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 14

DEVELOPMENT STEPS OF DATABASE SYSTEMS
Team of users
• Database deployment & analysts

– Releasing the database system for use by the end users

• Database use
End users
– Insertion, modification, deletion and retrieval of data in
database system
• Database administration and maintenance
– Support database end users, including:
Database
• Providing security for the database content administrator
(DBA)
• Ensuring sufficient hard-drive space for content
• Implementing backup and recovery procedures

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 15

NEXT VERSION OF DB AND SCOPE
• New version of database follows same development steps
as initial version (iterative process)
• Databases vary in scope from small single-user (personal)
databases to large enterprise databases used by thousands
of end-users
• Regardless of scope, all databases go through same
fundamental development steps (requirements, modeling,
implementation, deployment, use, etc.)

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 16

OPERATIONAL vs ANALYTICAL DATABASES

Operational Analytical
• Operational (transactional) • Analytical information:
information: information information collected and used
collected and used for day to for analytical tasks.
day operational needs • Is based on operational
• Operational database: collects (transactional) information.
and presents operational • Analytical database (data
information warehouse): collects and
• Online transaction processing presents analytical information
systems (OLTP) • Online analytical processing
systems (OLAP)
Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 17
 Business Intelligence Infrastructure
Module 1: Module 2: Analytical Database Module 3:
Operational Systems (Data warehouse) Visualization
Database and OLAP
No data marts option
Systems Data Applications
Sources (Visualization)
(OLTP) Access
Routine
ERP Business
ETL
Reporting
Process Data mart
(Marketing)
Select

/ Middleware
Legacy Metadata Data/text
Extract mining
Data mart
(Engineering)
Transform Enterprise
POS Data warehouse
OLAP,
Integrate

API
Data mart Dashboard,
(Finance) Web
Other Load
OLTP/wEB
Replication Data mart
(...) Custom built
External
applications
data

Database Systems - Jukić, Vrbsky, Nestorov Ch. 1, slide 18