CNT04209/MMT04204 Fundamentals of Database

Lecture #2

Database System Development lifecycle(DSDL)

 Learning Objectives

• Database System Development lifecycle(DSDL) Concepts.

• Main stages of database system development lifecycle (DSDL)

• How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 The information Systems Lifecycle

• The database is a fundamental component of an information system, and its development and
usage should be viewed from the perspective of the wider requirements of the organization.
• Therefore the lifecycle of an organization information system is inherently linked to the lifecycle of
the database system that supports it,
• Typically the stages in the lifecycle of an information system include: planning, requirements
collection and analysis, design, prototyping, implementation, testing, conversation and operation
maintenance.
 The information Systems Lifecycle

• The resources that enable the collection, management, control and dissemination of information
through an organization.
• Since the 1970s, database systems have been gradually replacing file – based systems as part of
an organization’s Information System (IS) infrastructure.
• A computer – based information system includes a database, database software, application
software, computer hardware and personnel using and developing the system.
 Database System Development lifecycle(DSDL)
• As stated above, a database system is a fundamental component of the larger enterprise
information system. The database development life cycle (DDLC) is a process of designing,
implementing and maintaining a database system to meet strategic or operational information
needs of an organization or enterprise such as:

• Improved customer support and customer satisfaction.

• Better production management.

• Better inventory management.

• More accurate sales forecasting.

 Software Depression
 The cost of owning and maintaining software was as expensive as developing the software. At that
time Projects was running over-time. At that time Software was very inefficient. The quality of
software was low quality.
 Last few decades have seen spread of software applications, many requiring constant
maintenance involving:
• correcting faults,
• implementing new user requirements,
• modifying software to run on new or upgraded platforms.
 Effort spent on maintenance began to absorb resources at an alarming rate.
 Software Depression

 As a result, many major software projects were

• Late
• Over budget
• Unreliable
• Difficult to maintain
• Performed poorly

 In late 1960s, led to ‘software crisis’, now refer to as the ‘software depression’.
 Software Depression
 Major reasons for failure of software projects includes:
- lack of a complete requirements specification;
- lack of appropriate development methodology;
- poor decomposition of design into manageable components.

 Structured approach to development was proposed called Information Systems Lifecycle (ISLC).
 Stages of database system development lifecycle (DSDL)

 As we said before Database development life cycle is a part of the software development life cycle.
Here in database development life cycle there are number of stages that we can identify. We can
present those stages as follows:
The following figure displays the life cycle of a database
 Database Planning
Management activities that allow stages of database system development lifecycle to be realized as
efficiently and effectively as possible.

 Database planning should also include development of standards that govern:

• how data will be collected
• how the format should be specified
• what necessary documentation will be needed
• how design and implementation should proceed.
 System definition
 Describes scope and boundaries of database system and the major user views.
 User view defines what is required of a database system from perspective of:

• a particular job role (such as Manager or Supervisor) or

• enterprise application area (such as marketing, personnel, or stock control).
 Database application may have one or more user views.
 Identifying user views helps ensure that no major users of the database are forgotten when developing
requirements for new system.
 User views also help in development of complex database system allowing requirements to be broken down
into manageable pieces.
 Requirement Analysis

• The most important step in implementing a database system is to find out what is needed i.e what
type of a database is required for the business organization, daily volume of data, how much data
needs to be stored in the master files etc.

• In order to collect all this information, a database analyst spends a lot of time within the business
organization talking to people, end users and getting familiar with the day-to-day process.
 Database Design
• In this phase the database designers will make a decision on the database model that perfectly suits the organization’s
requirement. The database designers will study the documents prepared by the analysis in the requirement analysis
stage and then start development of a system model that fulfils the needs.
 Evaluation and selection
• In this phase, we evaluate the diverse database management systems and choose the one which perfectly suits the
requirements of the organization.
• In order to identify the best performing database, end users should be involved.
 Logical database design
• Once the evaluation and selection phase is completed successfully, the next step is logical database design.
• This design is translated into internal model which includes mapping of all objects i.e design of tables, indexes, views,
transaction, access privileges etc.,
 Physical Database Design
• This phase selects and characterizes the data storage and data access of the database.
• The data storage depends on the type of devices supported by the hardware, the data access methods.
 DBMS selection (optional)

• Selecting a suitable DBMS for the database system.

 Application design

• Designing the user interface and the application programs that use and process the database.
 Prototyping (optional)
 Building a working model of the database system, which allows the designers or users to visualize
and evaluate how the final system will look and function
 Implementation
• This is the phase that the database system is implemented. This involves a series of steps leading to operational
information system that includes creating database definitions, developing applications,
testing the system, developing operational procedures and documentation, training the users and populating
the database.
 Testing and evaluation
• Here in this phase the
aim of testing is to uncover errors in the design and implementation of the database, its structure, constraints and
associated user and management support.
• This considered involving validation and verification. Without adequate testing users will have little confidence in
their data processing.
• The new system is tested and validated. Testing and validation of application programs can be a very involved
process and the techniques that are employed are usually covered in the software engineering course. The
automated tools that assist in the process.
 Data conversion and loading

• Loading data from the old system to the new system and, where possible, converting any existing
applications to run on the new database.
 Operation
 In this phase database is accessed by the users and application programs, new data is added as well as the

existing data is modified and some obsolete data is deleted also database delivers its usefulness as a critical tool in

management decision making and help in the smooth and efficient functioning of the organization.

 The Database system and its application are put into operation Usually the old and new system are operated in

parallel for some time.

• In this phase, the database is accessed by the end users and application programs.
• This stage includes adding of new data, modifying existing data and deletion of absolute data.
 Monitoring and Maintenance

• It is one of the ongoing phases in DDLC.

• The major tasks included are database backup and recovery, access management, hardware
maintenance etc.

• Growth and expansion can occur in both data content and software application.
Database basically needs to be modified and recognized from time to time.
 How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 Usability

• Consider how user-friendly the system will be for all those members of staff required to use it. In
some organizations those may include Marketing professionals, the IT department, Database
Developers and others. Look at the suitability from everyone’s perspective, and consider if you can
set different levels of permission for different teams or personnel.
 How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 Security

• Security of your data is an essential aspect of any database implementation. Business-sensitive data
and any personal information you hold must be stored securely to adhere to regulations and to protect
it from loss or theft.

• It is important to consider both the physical risk to data (e.g. the risk from fire, theft, etc.) and the risks
from hacking, or from unintentional corruption of data through human error. Any system you implement
must address the issue of keeping your data secure.
 How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 Integration

• Does the system you are considering integrate with your other software systems such as your
Email Marketing platform and CRM system? This may be a direct integration to the specific
software of there may be an open source code available for integrations.
 How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 Scalability

• Ensure that the system has the capacity to grow with your data and your business. Remember you
are likely to be adding to the data all the time, so even though your requirement may not be huge
right now, this can grow very quickly if you are gathering and updating your data regularly as
planned. Essentially…can it easily manage millions of rows of data?
 How to evaluate and select a DBMS.

 Cost and Suitability

• It could be a costly mistake to take on a system that you then invest time in building, only to find –
too late – that it is not advanced enough for your needs. Equally there is no need to opt for the
most expensive software available, if you are unlikely to need much of the functionality it offers.
 Reference

 Reference
• Thomas Connolly, Carolyn Begg, Database Systems: A Practical Approach to Design,
Implementation, and Management 6th, Pearson, 2014.
END