DBMS

What is a Database?
•A database is any collection of data.

•A DBMS is a software system

designed to maintain a database.

•We use a DBMS when

– there is a large amount of data
– security and integrity of the data are important
– many users access the data concurrently
 Example Database Application
•Consider a Company,

customer records
employee records

billing information
management records

switching and wiring diagrams

customer service orders

 Concerns of a Database User

– Where is the information kept?

– How is the data structured?
– How is the data kept consistent?
– How is the data described?
– How is the data kept secure?
– How do different pieces of data interrelate?
 Why Use a DBMS?
•Without a DBMS, we'd have:

Access by a collection
programs
in C++, Java, PHP, etc.
users of
the data

There is no control or
coordination of what
these programs do
data stored as bits on disks
organized as files with the data
 Why Use a DBMS?
•With a DBMS, we have:
applications

DBMS users of
the data

DBMS provides control

data stored as bits on disks and coordination to
organized as files protect the data.
 DBMS Structure

application
application
program(s)
application
program(s)
application
program(s) users of
program(s)
the data
external/application view
internal/implementation view
query processor
security manager
DBMS
software concurrency manager
components index manager

data
data definition data
description processor data
dictionary
 DBMS Languages
application
application
DML: data manipulation language application
program(s)
application
program(s) users of
QL: query language program(s)
program(s) the data

query processor
security manager
concurrency manager system
index manager configuration
languages
DDL:
data data
definition definition data
language processor data
dictionary
 Advantages of Using a DBMS
•Anything you can do with a DBMS,
you can do with a file system, a network
and a heap of C code

•So why spend the money to buy a DBMS?

– there is a well defined collection of capabilities

common to a certain class of applications

– for applications in this class, the DBMS already has

these capabilities and probably does them better than
you could with home-brewed code
DATABASE
FUNCTIONALITY
 Advantages of Using a DBMS
application
application
application
program(s)
application
program(s) users of
program(s)
program(s) the data

query processor
software operating
security manager
between the data and
concurrency manager the applications can
index manager provide many
capabilities
in a generic way
data
definition data
processor data
dictionary
 Persistence
•A DBMS provides
persistent objects, types and data structures

– persistent = having a lifetime longer than

the programs that use the data

– any information that fits the data model

of a particular DBMS
can be made persistent with little effort

– data model = concepts that can be used to describe the

data
 Concurrency
•A DBMS supports access by concurrent users

– concurrent = happening at the same time

– concurrent access, particularly writes (data changes),

can result in inconsistent states
(even when the individual operations are correct)

– the DBMS can check the actual operations of

concurrent users, to prevent activity that will lead to
inconsistent states
 Access Control
•A DBMS can restrict access to authorized
users

– security policies often require control that is more

fine-grained than that provided by a file system

– since the DBMS understands the data structure, it

can enforce fairly sophisticated and detailed
security policies
• on subsets of the data
• on subsets of the available operations
 Redundancy Control
•A DBMS can assist in controlling redundancy

– redundancy = multiple copies of the same data

– with file storage, it's often convenient to store multiple

copies of the same data, so that it's "local" to other
data and applications

– this can cause many problems:

• wasted disk space
• inconsistencies
• need to enter the data multiple times
 Complex Semantics
•A DBMS supports representation
of complex relationships and integrity constraints

– the semantics (meaning) of an application often

includes many relationships and rules
about the relative values of subsets of the data

– these further restrict the possible instances of the

database

– relationships and constraints can be defined as part of the

schema
 Backup and Recovery
•A DBMS can provide backup and recovery

– backup = snapshots of the data particular times

– recovery = restoring the data to a consistent state
after a system crash

– the higher level semantics (relationships and constraints)

can make it difficult to restore a consistent state

– transaction analysis can allow a DBMS to reconstruct a

consistent state from a number of backups
DATABASE USERS
AND ROLES
 DBMS Roles
application
application
application
program(s)
application
program(s) users of
application developers program(s)
program(s) the data

query processor
DBMS security manager
system concurrency manager
developers index manager system
database administrator
(and DB
designer data
designer)
definition data
processor data
dictionary
 DBMS Roles
•Actors On the Scene
(people interested in the actual data):

– database administrators
– database designers
– systems analysts and application programmers
– end users
 Actors on the Scene
•Database Administrators

– acquiring a DBMS
– managing the system
– acquiring HW and SW to support the DBMS
– authorizing access (security policies)
– managing staff, including DB designers
 Actors on the Scene
•Database Designers

– identifying the information of interested

in the Universe of Discourse (UoD)
– designing the database conceptual schema
– designing views for particular users
– designing the physical data layout and logical
schema
– adjusting data parameters for performance
 Actors on the Scene
•Systems Analysts and Application
Programmers
(generic database developers)

– provide specialized knowledge to optimize

database usage
– provide generic (canned) application programs
 Actors on the Scene
•End Users

– casual users: ad-hoc queries

– naïve or parametric users: canned queries such as menus

for a phone company customer service agent

– sophisticated users: people who understand the system

and the data and use it in many novel ways

– standalone users: people who use personal easy-to-use

databases for personal data
 DBMS Roles
•Actors Behind the Scene:
people who maintain the environment
but aren't interested in the actual data

– DBMS designers and implementers

– tools developers
– operators and maintenance personnel
– database researchers
 Actors Behind the Scene
•DBMS designers and implementers

– work for the company that supplies the DBMS

(i.e. Microsoft , Oracle, Sybase, MySQL …)

– programmers and engineers

– design and implement the DBMS

 Actors Behind the Scene
•Tools Developers

– design and implement DBMS add-ons or plug-ins

– may work for DBMS supplier or be independent

– kinds of tools: database design aids, performance

monitoring tools, user and designer interfaces
 Actors Behind the Scene
•Operators and maintenance personnel

– run and maintain the computer environment in

which a DBMS operates

– probably work for the database administrator

(DBA)
 Actors Behind the Scene
•Database Researchers

– academic or industrial researchers

– develop new theory, new designs, new data

models and new algorithms to improve future
database management systems