EDIT 3101 - Database

Management System

Presented by:
Clement M. Sinyangwe (Mr)
 UNIT OVERVIEW
Introduction
Data, information and Knowledge
Manual Systems
Traditional File-Based Systems
Database Approach
Roles in the Database Environment
History of Database Management Systems
Advantages and Disadvantages of DBMSs
Classification of databases
 Data, Information and Knowledge
• Data are raw facts.
– The word raw indicates that the facts have not yet been processed to
reveal their meaning.
• Information is the result of processing raw data to reveal its
meaning.
– Accurate, relevant, and timely information is the key to good decision
making.
• Knowledge refers to the practical use of information.
– While information can be transported, stored or shared without many
difficulties the same cannot be said about knowledge.
Good decision making is the key to organizational survival in a
global environment.
Note that raw data must be properly formatted for storage,
processing, and presentation.
Therefore, data management focuses on the proper generation,
storage, and retrieval of data.
Databases has evolved from Manual systems, computer file
systems.
Understanding the characteristics of file systems is important
because file systems are the source of serious data management
limitations.
Manual Filling Systems
 File-Based Systems
This is a collection of application programs that perform services
for the end-users.
Each program defines and manages its own data. The computer
files within the file system were similar to the manual files.
Although the file-based approach is largely obsolete,
there are good reasons for studying it.
Understanding the problems inherent in the file-based
systems may prevent us from repeating the same
problems in the database systems.
If you wish to convert a file-based system to a
database system, understanding how file system work
will be extremely useful.
 Limitations of File-Based Systems

Separation and isolation of data

When data is isolated in separate files, it is very difficult to
access data that should be available.
The application developer must synchronize the processing
of two file to ensure that the correct data extracted.
Duplication of data
Owing to the decentralized approach taken by each department,
the file-based approach may encourage the uncontrolled
duplication of data e.g. finance department and Human Resource
Dept.
Duplication of data is undesirable due to the following reasons:
Duplication is wasteful. It costs time and money to enter the data more
than once.
It takes up additional storage space
Duplication can lead to loss of data integrity ie data is no longer
consistent
Data dependence
The physical structure and storage of the data files and records
are defined in the application code.
This means that changes to an existing structure are difficult to
make.
Incompatible file formats
Because the structure is embedded in the application programs,
the structures are dependent on the application programming
language.
Fixed queries
There is no facility for asking unplanned queries
either about the data itself or about which types of
data were available.
Lack of security and limited data sharing
Sharing data among multiple geographically
dispersed users introduces a lot of security risks.
 What is a database?
A shared collection of logically related data (and a
description of this data), designed to meet the information
needs of an organization.
Logically related data comprises entities, attributes, and
relationships of an organization's information.
System catalogue (metadata) provides a description of data
to enable program–data independence.
 Database Management System (DBMS):
software that enables users to define, create, maintain and control
access to the database.
Some DBMS examples include:

MySQL Oracle
PostgreSQL dBASE
Microsoft Access, Clipper
Ms SQL Server FoxPro
FileMaker Maria dB
DBMS provides the following facilities:
• It allows users to define the database (create, drop), usually
through a Data Definition Language (DDL)
• It allows users to insert, update, delete and retrieve data
from the database, usually through a Data Manipulation
Language (DML).
• It provides controlled access to the database through Data
Control language (DCL)
It provides an extremely powerful and useful tool
called Views.
A view mechanism provides users with only the data
they want or need to use.
Allows each user to have his or her own view of the
database.
 Benefits of views
Reduce complexity: by letting users see the data in the way
they want to see it.
Provide a level of security: can be set up to exclude data that
some users should not see.
 Provide a mechanism to customize the appearance of the
database;
 Present a consistent, unchanging picture of the structure of the
database, even if the underlying database is changed
 ADVANTAGES OF A DBMS
Control of data redundancy: it eliminates the redundancy by
integrating the files so that multiple copies of the same data are not
stored.
Data consistency: by controlling redundancy, we reduce the risk
of inconsistencies occurring.
Data independence: Application programs should be as
independent as possible from details of data representation and
storage. The DBMS can provide an abstract view of the data to
insulate application code from such details.
Efficient data access: A DBMS utilizes a variety of
sophisticated techniques to store and retrieve data
efficiently. This feature is especially important if the data is
stored on external storage devices.
Data integrity and security: If data is always accessed
through the DBMS, the DBMS can enforce integrity
constraints on the data.
Data administration: When several users share the data,
centralizing the administration of data can offer significant
improvements.
Concurrent access and crash recovery: A DBMS
schedules concurrent accesses to the data in such a manner
that users can think of the data as being accessed by only
one user at a time.
Further, the DBMS protects users from the effects of
system failures.
Sharing data: the database belongs to the entire
organization and the data can be shared by all authorized
users.
 DISADVANTAGES OF A DBMS
• Complexity: The provisions of the functionality that we expect of
a good DBMS makes the DBMS an extremely complex piece of
software.
• Size: The complexity and breadth of functionality makes the
DBMS an extremely large piece of software, occupying many
megabytes of disk space and requiring substantial amount of
memory to run efficiently.
Greater impact of a failure: The centralization of
resources increases the vulnerability of the system.
Cost of DBMSs: the cost of a large multiuser DBMS that
service hundreds of users can be extremely expensive.
Additional hardware costs: The disk storage requirements
for the DBMS and the database may necessitate the
purchase of additional storage space.
 DATABASE SYSTEM
The term database system refers to an organization of components
that define and regulate the collection, storage, management, and
use of data within a database environment.
 Components of the DBMS environment
There are five major components in the DBMS environment
namely hardware, software, data, procedures and people.
People: Consists of users of the system and the staff who
manage the database.

– Data administrators:
– Database administrators:
– Database designers:
– Application developers:
– End-users:
 CLASSIFICATION OF DATABASES
• A DBMS can support many different types of
databases.
• Databases can be classified according to the number of
users, the database location(s), and the expected type
and extent of use.
The number of users determines whether the database is classified
as single-user or multiuser.
A single-user database supports only one user at a time.
A multiuser database supports multiple users at the same time.
Location might also be used to classify the database. A database
that supports data located at a single site is called a centralized
database.
A database that supports data distributed across several different
sites is called a distributed database.
A database that is designed primarily to support a company’s day-to-day
operations is classified as an operational database (AKA transactional or
production database).
 In contrast, a data warehouse focuses primarily on storing data used to
generate information required to make tactical or strategic decisions.
Databases can also be classified to reflect the degree to which the data are
structured.
Unstructured data are data that exist in their original (raw) state
Structured data are the result of taking unstructured data and formatting
(structuring) such data to facilitate storage, use, and the generation of
information.
Application Areas of Database System
 Airlines and railways
 Banking
 Education
 Telecommunications
 Credit card transactions
 E-commerce
 Health care information systems and electronic patient record
 Finance
 Human resources
 Sales
 THE END

QUESTIONS?