CNT04209/MMT04204 Fundamentals of Database

Lecture #1

Introduction to Databases

Prepared & Presented by Hamisi Magwa

Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Phone :0759214206
 Learning Objectives
• Describe how data needs have historically driven many information technology developments.
• Describe the evolution of data storage media during the last century.
• Differentiate the types of databases and database applications
• Understand the principals of typical DBMS functionality
• Explain the main characteristics of the database approach
• Know the types of database users
• Appraise the advantages of using the database approach
 Outlines
• Evolution of Databases

• Basic Definitions (Data, Information, Database, Metadata in database management system etc.)
• Database management system (DBMS)
• Database Users
• Why DBMS?
• Types of Database Management System (DBMS)
 Evolution of Databases

File-Based -Manual System

• 1968 was the year when File-Based database were introduced. In file-based databases, data was
maintained in a flat file. Though files have many advantages, there are several limitations.
• One of the major advantages is that the file system has various access methods, e.g., sequential,
indexed, and random.
• Data was stored as paper records
• Huge man power were involved
• Unnecessary time was wasted like when searching for a particular record
• This was inefficient
 Evolution of Databases
Hierarchical Data Model
• 1968-1980 was the era of the Hierarchical Database. Prominent hierarchical database model was IBM's first

• DBMS. It was called IMS (Information Management System). In this model, files are related in a parent/child
manner.
 Evolution of Databases

Network data model

• Charles Bachman developed the first DBMS at Honeywell called Integrated Data Store (IDS). It
was developed in the early 1960s, but it was standardized in 1971 by the CODASYL group
(Conference on Data Systems Languages).

• In this model, files are related as owners and members, like to the common network model.
 Evolution of Databases
Relational Database
• 1970 - Present: It is the era of Relational Database and Database Management. In 1970, the relational
model was proposed by E.F. Codd.
• Relational database model has two main terminologies called instance and schema.
• The instance is a table with rows or columns
• Schema specifies the structure like name of the relation, type of each column and name.
• The first internet database application had been created in 1995.
• During the era of the relational database, many more models had introduced like object-oriented model,
object-relational model, etc.
 Evolution of Databases
Cloud database
• Cloud database facilitates you to store, manage, and retrieve their structured, unstructured data via a cloud platform. This
data is accessible over the Internet. Cloud databases are also called a database as service (DBaaS) because they are

offered as a managed service.

• Some best cloud options are:

• AWS (Amazon Web Services)

• Snowflake Computing

• Oracle Database Cloud Services

• Microsoft SQL server

• Google cloud spanner

 Data Vs. Information
 Data is a collection of facts and figures that can be processed to produce information.
• It can be used in a variety of forms like text, numbers, media, bytes, etc. it can be stored in pieces
of paper or electronic memory, etc. An example of data is information collected for a research
paper. An example of data is an email. etc.
• It comes from the Latin word datum, meaning “something given”..
 Information is defined as “news or knowledge received or given”. It is what results when you
have processed, interpreted, and organized facts. The word comes from the Latin word īnfōrmātiō,
meaning “formation or conception.”
 In the world of computers data is the input, or what you tell the computer to do or save.
Information is the output, or how the computer interprets your data and shows you the requested
action or directive.
 Differences Between Data and Information

• Data is a collection of facts. Information is how you understand those facts in context.
• Data is unorganized, while information is structured or organized.
• Data is not typically useful on its own, but information is.
• Information depends on data.
 Metadata in DBMS
 Metadata is simply defined as data about data. It means it is a description and context of
the data. It helps to organize, find and understand data. Let me explain to you by giving a
real-world example of metadata:
• Every time you take a photo with today’s cameras a bunch of metadata is gathered and
saved with it. Such as
• File name, Size of the file, Date and time.
• For example, author, date created, date modified and file size are examples of very basic
document file metadata. Having the ability to search for a particular element (or elements) of
that metadata makes it much easier for someone to locate a specific document.
• In addition to document files, metadata is used for: computer files, images, relational
databases, spreadsheets, videos, audio files, web pages etc.
 Database Vs. Database management system (DBMS)
 Database is a collection of related data. Containers having a huge amount of data are known as databases, for
example, a public library stores books. Databases are computer structures that save, organize, protect, and deliver data.
• Any system that manages databases is called a database management system.

 A database management system (DBMS) is a software system designed to store, manage and facilitate access to the
database
 A database management system stores data in such a way that it becomes easier to retrieve, manipulate, and produce
information. For
For example
These are some popular DBMS tools.

Inside a database, the data is recorded in a table which is a collection of rows, columns, and it is indexed so that to find relevant information becomes an easier task.
As new information is added, data gets updated, expanded and deleted. The various processes of databases create and update themselves, querying the data
they contain and running applications against it.
 Database Users
• DBMS has users with different rights and permissions who use it for different purposes. Some users retrieve
data and some back it up. The users of a DBMS can be broadly categorized as follows:
 Database Users

• Administrators − Administrators maintain the DBMS and are responsible for administrating the database.
They are responsible to look after its usage and by whom it should be used. They create access profiles for
users and apply limitations to maintain isolation and force security. Administrators also look after DBMS
resources like system license, required tools, and other software and hardware related maintenance.
• Designers − Designers are the group of people who actually work on the designing part of the database.
They keep a close watch on what data should be kept and in what format. They identify and design the
whole set of entities, relations, constraints, and views.
• End Users − End users are those who actually reap the benefits of having a DBMS. End users can range
from simple viewers who pay attention to the logs or market rates to sophisticated users such as business
analysts.
 Why DBMS?
 Problems in File Processing
• Data redundancy and inconsistency − Same information may be duplicated in several places. All copies
may not be updated properly.
• Difficulty in accessing data − May have to write a new application program to satisfy an unusual request.
• Data isolation − Data in different files in different formats and even difficult to write new application
programs.
• Multiple users − Want concurrency for faster response time. Need protection for concurrent updates.
• Security problems − Every user of the system should be able to access only the data they are permitted to
see, difficult to enforce this with application programs.
• Integrity problems − Data may be required to satisfy constraints.
 To overcome these problems development of database management systems was introduced.
 Advantages of DBMS
• Redundancy problem can be solved. In the File System, duplicate data is created in many places because all the programs
have their own files which create data redundancy resulting in wastage of memory. In DBMS, all the files are integrated in a single
database. So there is no chance of duplicate data.
• Has a very high security level. Data security level is high by protecting your precious data from unauthorized access. Only
authorized users should have the grant to access the database with the help of credentials .
• Presence of Data integrity. Data integrity makes unification of so many files into a single file. DBMS allows data integrity which
makes it easy to decrease data duplicity Data integration and reduces redundancy as well as data inconsistency
• Avoidance of inconsistency.DBMS controls data redundancy and also controls data consistency. Data consistency is nothing
but if you want to update data in any files then all the files should not be updated again. In DBMS, data is stored in a single
database so data becomes more consistent in comparison to file processing systems .
• Shared data. Data can be shared between authorized users of the database in DBMS. All the users have their own right to
access the database. Admin has complete access to the database. He has a right to assign users to access the database.
• Any unauthorized access is restricted. Unauthorized persons are not allowed to access the database because of security
credentials.
• Provide backup of data. Data loss is a big problem for all the organizations. In the file system users have to back up the files in
regular intervals which lead to waste of time and resources.
 Disadvantages of DBMS
• Complexity :The provision of the functionality that is expected of a good DBMS makes the DBMS an extremely complex
piece of software. Database designers, developers, database administrators and end-users must understand this

functionality to take full advantage of it. Failure to understand the system can lead to bad design decisions, which leads
to a serious consequence for an organization.

• Size: The functionality of DBMS makes use of a large piece of software which occupies megabytes of disk space.

• Performance: Performance may not run as fast as desired.

• Higher impact of a failure: The centralization of resources increases the vulnerability of the system because all users
and applications rely on the availability of DBMS, the failure of any component can bring operation to halt.

• Cost of DBMS: The cost of DBMS varies significantly depending on the environment and functionality provided. There is
also the recurrent annual maintenance cost.
 Database Management Systems (DBMSs)
Your Applications
Go Here Database abstractions
allow this interface to
be cleanly defined and
this allows applications

DBMS
and data management
systems to be
implemented
separately.

Raw Resources
 Types of databases
Four types of database management systems
• A relational database management
• Hierarchical database systems
• Network database systems
• Object-oriented database systems
 Next Lecture

Database System Development lifecycle(DSDL)

END