Fundamentals of

Database Management
Systems
 Introduction

 What is Data, Database, DBMS?

 What is a Catalog, Metadata?
 Characteristics of DBMS
 Users of DBMS
 Classification of DBMS
 Pros and Cons
 What is?

 Data : Facts (Actual Information)

Example: Book ( Accno, name,…)

 Database : Collection of Related data

Example: Library (Book, Member, Journal…)

 Database Management System:

Collection of programs that enables users to
create and maintain the database
Example : Library Management system
 Types of Databases and Database
Applications
 Traditional Applications:
– Numeric and Textual Databases
 More Recent Applications:
– Multimedia Databases
– Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
– Data Warehouses
– Real-time and Active Databases
– Many other applications
Simplified database system environment
 Problem with early information
 File-processing system were used to store
and retrieve the information.
 It has a number of major disadvantages:

1) Data redundancy and inconsistency.

- Same information may be duplicated in
several files.
- It leads to high storage and access
cost.
2) Difficulty in accessing data.
3) Integrity problems.
- Consistency constraints.
4) Atomicity problem.
- It is difficult to ensure the atomicity
problem in conventional file processing
system.(Ex. Transfer amt from A to B).
5) Concurrent-access anomalies.
-Multiple users update the data
simultaneously. (Ex. accessing the ac. At
same time by two persons)
6) Security problem.
Not every users should be able to
access the database
 What is?
 The collection of information stored in the
database at a particular moment is called an
instance of the database.
 The overall design of the database is called the

database schema.
 Metadata- One of the salient feature of DBMS is

its self describing nature.

Data about data.
Description of the Db.
 Data dictionary or Catalog

Every DBMS software creates a description of

the Db created in a file called catalog.
 Contains Metadata.
 Typical DBMS Functionality
 Define a particular database in terms of its data
types, structures, and constraints
 Construct or Load the initial database contents on a
secondary storage medium (eg. Hard disk)
 Manipulating the database:
– Retrieval: Querying, generating reports
– Modification: Insertions, deletions and updates to its
content
– Accessing the database through Web applications
 Processing and Sharing by a set of concurrent users
and application programs – yet, keeping all data
valid and consistent
 Typical DBMS Functionality
 Other features:
– Protection or Security measures to
prevent unauthorized access
– Presentation and Visualization of data
– Maintaining the database and
associated programs over the lifetime of
the database application
 Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach
 Self-describing nature of a database system:
– A DBMS catalog stores the description of a particular
database (e.g. data structures and types)
– The description is called meta-data.
– This allows the DBMS software to work with different
database applications.
 Insulation between programs and data:
– Called program-data independence.
– Allows changing data structures and storage
organization without having to change the DBMS access
programs.
 Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach
 Data Abstraction:
– A data model is used to hide storage details
and present the users with a conceptual view
of the database. Program-data independence
called data abstraction.
 Support of multiple views of the
data:
– Each user may see a different view of the
database, which describes only the data of
interest to that user.
 Database Users
 Users may be divided into
– Those who actually use and control the
database content, and those who design,
develop and maintain database
applications (called “Actors on the
Scene”), and
– Those who design and develop the DBMS
software and related tools, and the
computer systems operators (called
“Workers Behind the Scene”).
 Database Users
 Actors on the scene
– Database Designers:
 Responsible to define the content, the structure,
the constraints, and functions or transactions
against the database. They must communicate
with the end-users and understand their needs.
– Database administrators:
 Responsible for authorizing access to the
database, for coordinating and monitoring its use,
acquiring software and hardware resources,
controlling its use and monitoring efficiency of
operations.
 Categories of End-users
 Actors on the scene
– End-users: They use the data for queries,
reports and some of them update the
database content. End-users can be
categorized into:
 Casual: access database occasionally when
needed
 Naïve or Parametric: they make up a large section
of the end-user population.
– They use previously well-defined functions against the
database.
– Examples are bank-tellers or university secretaries who
do this activity for an entire shift of operations.
 Categories of End-users
 Sophisticated:
– These include business analysts, scientists, engineers,
others thoroughly familiar with the system capabilities.
– Many use tools in the form of software packages that
work closely with the stored database.
 Centralized and
Client-Server DBMS Architectures
 Centralized DBMS:
– Combines everything into single system
including- DBMS software, hardware,
application programs, and user interface
processing software.
– User can still connect through a remote
terminal – however, all processing is
done at centralized site.
A Physical Centralized Architecture
 Basic 2-tier Client-Server
Architectures
 Specialized Servers with Specialized
functions
– Print server
– File server
– DBMS server
– Web server
– Email server
 Clients
can access the specialized
servers as needed
Logical two-tier client server
architecture
 Clients
 Provide appropriate interfaces through a
client software module to access and
utilize the various server resources.
 Clients may be diskless machines or PCs

or Workstations with disks with only the

client software installed.
 Connected to the servers via some form

of a network.
– (LAN: local area network, wireless network,
etc.)
 DBMS Server
 Provides database query and transaction
services to the clients
 Relational DBMS servers are often called
SQL servers, query servers, or transaction
servers
 Applications running on clients utilize an
Application Program Interface (API) to
access server databases via standard
interface such as:
– ODBC: Open Database Connectivity standard
– JDBC: for Java programming access
 Two Tier Client-Server
Architecture
 Client and server must install
appropriate client module and server
module software for ODBC or JDBC
 A client program may connect to

several DBMSs, sometimes called the

data sources.
 In general, data sources can be files

or other non-DBMS software that

manages data.
 Three Tier Client-Server Architecture
 Common for Web applications
 Intermediate Layer called Application Server or Web
Server:
– Stores the web connectivity software and the business logic
part of the application used to access the corresponding data
from the database server
– Acts like a conduit for sending partially processed data
between the database server and the client.
 Three-tier Architecture Can Enhance Security:
– Database server only accessible via middle tier
– Clients cannot directly access database server
– Clients contain user interfaces and Web browsers
– The client is typically a PC or a mobile device connected to the
Web
Three-tier client-server architecture
 Advantages of Using the Database Approach
 Controlling redundancy in data storage and in
development and maintenance efforts.
– Sharing of data among multiple users.
– Ensuring consistency of data.
 Restricting unauthorized access to data.
 Providing Persistent Storage for

Program Objects
 Providing storage structures (e.g. indexes)

and Search Techniques for Efficient

Query Processing
 Advantages of Using the Database
Approach (continued)
 Providing backup and recovery
services.
 Providing multiple interfaces to

different classes of users.

 Representing complex relationships

among data.
 Enforcing integrity constraints on the

database.
Three-schema Architecture

External External External

View View View Logical DI

Conceptual or Logical schema

Physical DI

Internal or Physical schema

Internal level: deals with the physical representation
of the database on the computer and thus, is also
known as physical level. It describes how the data is
physically stored and organized on the storage
medium. Designed by physical model.
Conceptual level: deals with the logical structure of
the entire database and thus, is also known as logical
level. It describes what data is stored in the
database. The schema is designed by
implementational model.
External level: It is the highest level of abstraction
that deals with the user’s view of the database and
thus, is also known as view level. The external level
describes a part of the database for a particular
group of users. The schema is designed by
implementational model.
 Mapping
 Theprocess of transforming requests or results
between levels are called mappings.
 Data Independence
1. Logical Data Independence- Changing
the conceptual schema without having
to change the external schema
2. Physical Data Independence- Changing
the physical schema without having to
change the conceptual
 Data abstraction
– Hiding certain details of how the data stored
and maintained.
1) Physical level – how data are stored
2) Logical level – what data and relationship
3) View level – describes only part of a
database.
 Classification of DBMS
 Site :Centralized , Distributed
 Data Model: Network, Hierarchical ,

Relational, Object Relational, Object

Oriented, XML, and NOSQL
 File Organization: Inverted file, BTree,

Multilevel Indexing
 Users: Single, Multiple