Unit 1 Outline
Types of Databases and Database Applications
Basic Definitions
Typical DBMS Functionality
Example of a Database (UNIVERSITY) (Ref text pg no )
Types of Database Users
Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
Actors on the Scene
Workers behind the Scene
Advantages of Using the Database Approach
Types of Databases and Database Applications
Traditional Applications:
Numeric and Textual Databases in Business Applications
More Recent Applications:
Multimedia Databases (images, videos, voice, etc.)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Data Warehouses
Real-time and Active Databases
Many other applications
Basic Definitions
Database:
A collection of related data.
Data:
Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning.
Mini-world:
Some part of the real world about which data is stored in a
database. For example, student registration, grades and transcripts
at a university.
Database Management System (DBMS):
A software package/system to facilitate the creation and
maintenance of a computerized database.
Database System:
The DBMS software together with the data itself. Sometimes, the
application programs and interfaces are also included.
Simplified database system environment
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 (typically hard disk)
Manipulating the database:
Retrieval: Querying, generating reports
Modification: Insertions, deletions and updates to its content
Accessing/changing 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 Database functionality (cont.)
Other features:
Protection or Security measures to prevent
unauthorized access
“Active” processing to take internal actions on
data
Presentation and Visualization of data
Maintaining the database and associated programs
over the lifetime of the database application
Called database, software, and system life-cycle
maintenance
Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach
Self describing nature of a database system
Insulation between programs and data
Support of multiple views of the data
Sharing of data and multi-user transaction
processing
Characteristics of Database approach(cont.)
Self-describing nature of a database system:
A DBMS catalog stores the description of a particular database (e.g.
data structures, types, and constraints)
The description is called meta-data (data about data).
So, database system = Database + Metadata
DBMS software must work equally well with any number of database
application as along as all information is present in the database.
In traditional file processing, data definition part of application
programs works with one specific type of DB.
Catalog
Characteristics of Database approach(cont.)
Insulation between programs and data
In database approach structure is stored in the catalog separate from the
program.
Changes could be done in the catalog and is separate from the access programs
(program – data independence).
Data abstraction Characteristic that allow program- data independence.
DBMS provides conceptual representation of data.
Characteristics of Database approach(cont.)
Support of multiple views of the data
A database has many users, each user may see a different view of the
database, which describes only the data of interest to that user.
A view subset of database contains “virtual data” derived from
database(not explicitly stored).
Derived from
database table
Contains virtual
A subset of
view data derived from
database
database
Characteristics of Database approach(cont.)
Sharing of data and multi-user transaction
processing
Allowing a set of user transactions to access and update the database
concurrently (at the same time).
Concurrency control within the DBMS guarantees that each
transaction is correctly executed or aborted
Recovery subsystem ensures each completed transaction has its effect
permanently recorded in the database
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) is a major part of database
applications (allows hundreds of concurrent transactions to execute
per second)
Types of Database users
Database users are those who interact with data to
update, read and modify the information.
These are people who take advantage from the database.
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”).
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 and Workers behind the
scene.
Actors on the scene - people whose jobs involve the day-to-day
use of a large database
Database Administrators
Database Designers
End-users: Use the database for queries, reports, and updating the database content.
Can be categorized into:
Casual end-users: access database occasionally when needed
Naïve (or Parametric) end-users: largest section of end-user population.
Use previously implemented and tested programs (called “canned
transactions”) to access/update the database.
Examples are bank-tellers or hotel reservation clerks or sales clerks.
Database Users: End-users (cont)
Sophisticated end-users:
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.
Stand-alone end-users:
Mostly maintain personal databases using ready-to-use packaged applications.
An example is a tax program user that creates its own internal database.
Another example is a user that maintains an address book
System Analysts and Application Programmers (Software
Engineers)
Advantage of database approach
Controlling Redundancy
Restricting Unauthorized Access
Providing Persistent Storage for Program Objects
Providing Storage Structures and Search Techniques for Efficient Query
Processing
Providing Backup and Recovery
Providing Multiple User Interfaces
Representing Complex Relationships among Data
Enforcing Integrity Constraints
Permitting Inferencing and Actions Using Rules
