DBMS
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THREE SCHEMA ARCHITECTURE
⚫ The three schema architecture is also called ANSI/SPARC architecture or
three-level architecture.
⚫ This framework is used to describe the structure of a specific database
system.
⚫ The three schema architecture is also used to separate the user applications
and physical database.
⚫ The three schema architecture contains three-levels. It breaks the database
down into three different categories.
The three-schema architecture is as follows:
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DBMS
In the above diagram:
◆ It shows the DBMS architecture.
◆ Mapping is used to transform the request and response between various
database levels of architecture.
◆ Mapping is not good for small DBMS because it takes more time.
◆ In External / Conceptual mapping, it is necessary to transform the request
from external level to conceptual schema.
◆ In Conceptual / Internal mapping, DBMS transform the request from the
conceptual to internal level.
❖ Objectives of Three schema Architecture
The main objective of three level architecture is to enable multiple users to
access the same data with a personalized view while storing the underlying data
only once. Thus it separates the user's view from the physical structure of the
database. This separation is desirable for the following reasons:
✓ Different users need different views of the same data.
✓ The approach in which a particular user needs to see the data may change
over time.
✓ The users of the database should not worry about the physical
implementation and internal workings of the database such as data
compression and encryption techniques, hashing, optimization of the
internal structures etc.
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DBMS
✓ All users should be able to access the same data according to their
requirements.
✓ DBA should be able to change the conceptual structure of the database
without affecting the user's
✓ Internal structure of the database should be unaffected by changes to
physical aspects of the storage.
1. Internal Level
⚫ The internal level has an internal schema which describes the physical
storage structure of the database.
⚫ The internal schema is also known as a physical schema.
⚫ It uses the physical data model. It is used to define that how the data will
be stored in a block.
⚫ The physical level is used to describe complex low-level data structures
in detail.
The internal level is generally is concerned with the following activities:
1) Storage space allocations.
For Example: B-Trees, Hashing etc.
2) Access paths.
For Example: Specification of primary and secondary keys, indexes, pointers
and sequencing.
3) Data compression and encryption techniques.
4) Optimization of internal structures.
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DBMS
2. Conceptual Level
⚫ The conceptual schema describes the design of a database at the
conceptual level. Conceptual level is also known as logical level.
⚫ The conceptual schema describes the structure of the whole database.
⚫ The conceptual level describes what data are to be stored in the
database and also describes what relationship exists among those data.
⚫ In the conceptual level, internal details such as an implementation of the
data structure are hidden.
⚫ Programmers and database administrators work at this level.
3. External Level
⚫ At the external level, a database contains several schemas that
sometimes called as subschema. The subschema is used to describe the
different view of the database.
⚫ An external schema is also known as view schema.
⚫ Each view schema describes the database part that a particular user
group is interested and hides the remaining database from that user
group.
⚫ The view schema describes the end user interaction with database
systems.
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DBMS
❖ Mapping between Views
✓ The three levels of DBMS architecture don't exist independently of each
other.
✓ There must be correspondence between the three levels i.e. how they
actually correspond with each other.
✓ DBMS is responsible for correspondence between the three types of
schema. This correspondence is called Mapping.
There are basically two types of mapping in the database architecture:
1. Conceptual/ Internal Mapping
2. External / Conceptual Mapping
➢ Conceptual/ Internal Mapping
The Conceptual/ Internal Mapping lies between the conceptual level and the
internal level.
Its role is to define the correspondence between the records and fields of the
conceptual level and files and data structures of the internal level.
➢ External/ Conceptual Mapping
The external/Conceptual Mapping lies between the external level and the
Conceptual level. Its role is to define the correspondence between a particular
external and the conceptual view.
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