Lecture 07 (Morley Ch12)

CSC 101 – Introduction to

Computing
 What Is a Database?

• Database
– A collection of related data stored in a manner that
enables information to be retrieved as needed
• Database Management System (DBMS)
– Used to create, maintain, and access databases
– Database engine
• The part of the program that actually stores and
retrieves data
– Microsoft Access, OpenOffice Base, Corel Paradox,
Oracle
Database, etc.

2
Outline

• Database
• What is a Database
• Advantages & Disadvantages of the DBMS Approach
• Data Concepts & Characteristics
• Data Definition
• Data Hierarchy
• Entities
• Entity Relationships
• Data Integrity, Security & Privacy
• Centralized vs. Distributed Database Systems
3
 What Is a Database?

• A database typically consists of:

– Tables
• Collection of related records
– Fields (columns)
• Single category of data to be stored in a database
(name, telephone number, etc.)
– Records (rows)
• Collection of related fields in a database (all the fields
for one customer, for example)

4
 What Is a Database?

• A Simple Relational Database Example

5
 What is a Database?

– Primary Key
• Field that uniquely identifies the records in a table
• Field in a table that is used to relate that table to other
tables

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 6

 What Is a Database?

• Individuals Involved with a Database Management System

– Database Designers
• Design the database
– Database Developers
• Create the database
– Database Programmers
• Write the programs needed to access the database or
tie the database to other programs

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 7

 What Is a Database?

– Database Administrators
• Responsible for managing the databases within an
organization
– Users
• Individuals who enter data, update data, and retrieve
information from the database

8
 What Is a Database?

• The Evolution of Databases

9
 What Is a Database?

• Advantages and Disadvantages of the DBMS Approach

– Advantages
• Low level of redundancy
– Faster response time
– Lower storage
requirements
– Easier to secure
– Increased data
accuracy
– Disadvantages
• Increased vulnerability
(backup is essential)
10
 Inside the Industry Box

File Management Systems

– Tables are
not related
so more
time-
consuming
and more
redundancy

11
 Data Concepts and
Characteristics
• Data Hierarchy
– Fields/columns
• Hold single pieces of data
– Records/rows
• Groups of related fields
– Tables
• Collection of related records
– Database
• Contains a group of related tables

12
 Data Concepts and
Characteristics
• Entities and Entity Relationships
– Entity
• A person, object, or event of importance to the
organization
• Entities that the organization wants to store data about
typically becomes a database table
– Attributes
• Characteristics of an entity
• Typically become fields in the entity’s database table
– Relationship
• An association between two or more entities
13
 Data Concepts and
Characteristics
– One to One (1:1) Entity Relationships
• One entity is related to only one other entity of a particular
type
• Not a common type of relationship
– One to Many (O:M) Entity Relationship
• Most common type of relationship
• One entity can be related to more
than one other entity
– A supplier can supply more than one product to a
company
– Many to Many (M:M) Entity Relationships
• One entity can be related to more than one other entity, and
those entities can be related to multiple entities of the same
type as the original entity
14
 Data Concepts and
Characteristics
• Data Definition
– The process of describing the properties of data to be
included in a database table
– During data definition, each field is assigned:
• Name (must be unique within the table)
• Data type (such as Text, Number, Currency,
Date/Time)
• Description (optional description of the field)
• Properties (field size, format of the field, allowable
range, if field is required, etc.)
– Finished specifications for a table become the table
structure

15
 Data Concepts and
Characteristics

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 16

 Data Concepts and
Characteristics
• The Data Dictionary
– Contains all data definitions in a database, including:
• Table structures
• Security information (passwords, etc.)
• Relationships between the tables in the database
• Basic information about each table, such as the current
number of records
– Does not contain any of the data in the tables
– Does contain metadata, which is information about the
database tables
– Ensures that data being entered into the database does
not violate any specified criteria
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 17
 Data Integrity, Security, and
Privacy
• Data Integrity
– Accuracy of Data
• Quality of data entered determines the quality of
generated information
– Data Validation
• Process of ensuring that data entered into the database
is valid
• Record validation rules
– Checks all fields before changes to a record are
saved
• Can be enforced on a per transaction basis so the entire
transaction will fail if one part is invalid

18
 Data Integrity, Security, and
Privacy
– Database Locking
• Prevents two individuals from changing the same data
at the same time

19
 Data Integrity, Security, and
Privacy
• Data Security
– Protects data against destruction and misuse
– Protects against unauthorized access to and unauthorized
use of a database
– Database activity monitoring programs can be used to
detect possible intrusions and risks
– Prevents data loss
– Should include strict backup and disaster-recovery
procedures (disaster-recovery plan)
– Should be used with both in-house and cloud
databases

20
Data Integrity, Security, and
Privacy

21
 Data Integrity, Security, and
Privacy
– Data Privacy
• Growing concern because of the vast amounts of
personal data stored in databases today
• Many states require businesses to notify customers
when their personal data has been compromised
• Data breaches can be costly
– One estimate is $200 per breached record

22
 How It Works Box

Column Databases
– Stores data by columns
instead of rows
– Improves performance
by minimizing the
time needed to read
the disk
– Used with data
warehouses and other
big data applications

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 23

 Database Classifications

• Single-User vs. Multiuser Database Systems

– Single-User Database System
• Located on a single computer
• Designed to be accessed by one user
• Widely used for personal applications and very small
businesses
– Multiuser Database System
• Designed to be accessed by multiple users (most
business databases today)

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 24

 Database Classifications

• Centralized vs. Distributed Database Systems

– Centralized Database System
• Database is located on a single computer, such as a
server or mainframe
– Distributed Database System
• Data is physically divided among several computers
connected by a network, but the database logically
looks like it is a single database

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 25

 Database Classifications

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 26

 Database Classifications

• Disk-Based vs. In-Memory Database Systems

– Disk-Based Systems
• Data is stored on hard drives
– In-Memory Databases (IMDBs)
• Data is stored in main memory
• Dramatically faster than disk-based databases
• Good backup procedures are essential
• Used both in high-end systems where performance is
crucial and in small-footprint, embedded applications

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 27

 Database Models

• The Hierarchical and Network Database Models

– Hierarchical Databases
• Organizes data in a tree structure
• Typically a one-to-many relationship between data
entities
– Network Databases
• Allow both one-to-many and many-to-many
relationships between data elements
– Most databases today are neither hierarchical
or network
models

28
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)

29
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)
• Creating a Relational Database
– Creating the Tables
• Each table is created using the table structure
developed during the database design process
– In Access, can use Design view or Datasheet view
– Entering and Editing Data
• Existing data can be migrated to the new database
• New data can be added via a form or Datasheet view
– In either case, the same data is being manipulated

30
 Database Models

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 31

Database Models

32
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)
– Relating Tables
• Once all tables have been created, they can be related
to one another using their primary keys

33
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)
• Retrieving Information from a Relational Database
– Query
• A request to see information from a database that
matches specific criteria
• Every DBMS provides tools users can use to query the
database for information
• Can also write in structured query language (SQL)
• Must be designed to extract information as efficiently
as possible
• Poorly written queries can impact the overall
performance of the system

34
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 35

The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)
– Reports
• Formatted way of looking at a database table or the
results of a query
• Can pull data from more than one table
• Many programs have wizards or other tools to make it
easy to create a report
• Can be modified and customized using the Design view
• Reports in Microsoft Access are saved as objects in the
database file

36
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)

37
The Relational Database Model
(RDBMS)
• Maintaining a Relational Database
– Table structures can be modified when needed
– Other possible modifications:
• Adding new indexes to speed up queries
• Deleting obsolete data
• Upgrading database software, installing patches
• Repairing/restoring data that has become corrupt
• Continuing to evaluate and improve security

38
 The Object-Oriented Database
Model
• The Object-Oriented Database Model
– Object-Oriented Database Management System
(OODBMS)
• Database system in which multiple types of data are
stored as objects along with their related code
• Can contain virtually any type of data (video clip, text
with music, etc.) along with the methods to be used
with that data
• Objects can be retrieved using queries (object query
language or OQL)
• Objects can be reused in other applications to create
new applications quickly

39
 Trend Box

Law Enforcement Databases

– Have been used for years but new database are now
emerging that hold non-traditional data like photos and
biometric data
• Next Generation Identification (NGI)
– Includes AFIT to store and
match fingerprints
– Includes support for photos
and face-matching
– Future improvements include
support for voice, iris, DNA,
palm prints, etc.
40
 Hybrid Database Models

• Hybrid Database Models

– A combination of two or more database types or models
• Hybrid XML/Relational
Database
– Can store and
retrieve both XML data
and relational data

41
 Multidimensional Databases
(MDDB)
• Multidimensional Databases (MDDB)
– Designed to be used with data warehousing
– Often used in conjunction with Online Analytical
Processing (OLAP)
• MOLAP (Multidimensional OLAP)
– Data is stored in single structures called data cubes
• ROLAP (Relational OLAP)
– Data is stored in an existing relational database
using tables to store the summary information
• HOLAP (Hybrid OLAP)
– Combination of MOLAP and ROLAP
technologies
42
 Cloud Databases

• Typically hosted on a cloud database provider’s servers that

is accessible to users via the Web
• Examples of Cloud Databases in Use
– Information retrieval
• Data to be accessed and displayed on a Web page is
often stored in a database, i.e, Search sites
– Support and facilitate e-commerce
• Display product information, pricing, customer
information, shopping cart content, etc.
• Cloud databases allow Web pages to be
dynamic Web pages

43
 Technology and You Box

Cloud Databases
– Use growing rapidly
– Typically built using a cloud
provider (Windows Azure,
Amazon SimpleDB, or
Google Cloud SQL)
– Requires less in-house
hardware and maintenance
– Individuals can create via
Microsoft Access web apps

44
 Cloud Databases

• How Cloud Databases Work

– Visitor makes request by
• Filling out a Web page
form
• Selecting an option from a menu displayed on a Web
page form
– Web server converts the request into a database query,
passes it onto the database server, and then sends the
results back to the visitor

45
 Cloud Databases

– Middleware
• Software used to connect two otherwise separate
applications, such as a Web server and a database
management system
• Commonly written as scripts
• Common languages include
– JavaScript
– VBScript
– CGI Scripts
– Active Server Pages (ASPs)
– PHP Scripts

46
Cloud Databases

47
Summary

• Database
• What is a Database
• Advantages & Disadvantages of the DBMS Approach
• Data Concepts & Characteristics
• Data Definition
• Data Hierarchy
• Entities
• Entity Relationships
• Data Integrity, Security & Privacy
• Centralized vs. Distributed Database Systems
48