CUIT201: Database

Systems
DBMS Environment

Lecture 1
Presentation layout
 Lesson Objectives
 Introduction
 Basic Definitions
 Database Management System (DBMS) Environment
 Conclusion
 References
Lecture Objectives
At the end of the lecture the student should be able to:
 Define data, information, database, metadata, end user data
 Describe the DBMS environment
 Describe the roles of the people in the DBMS environment
Introduction
 Why Databases?
◦ Businesses should operate knowing details of their customers, services
or products, employees, debtors etc
◦ Businesses should keep data available to decision makers when
necessary
◦ Databases as part of all business information systems help businesses
use information as an organizational resource.
◦ At the heart of all of these systems are the collection, storage,
aggregation, manipulation, dissemination, and management of data.
Introduction ctd
◦ Depending on the type of information system and the characteristics of
the business, these data could vary from a few megabytes on just one
or two topics to terabytes covering hundreds of topics within the
business’s internal and external environment.
◦ Telecommunications companies are known to have systems that keep
data on trillions of phone calls, with new data being added to the
system at speeds up to 70,000 calls per second!
◦ Virtually all modern business systems rely on databases; therefore, a
good understanding of how these structures are created and their
proper use is vital for any information systems professional.
 Basic Definitions
• Data
• Information
• End user data
• Database
• Meta Data
Data
 Raw facts. The word raw indicates that the facts have not
yet been processed to reveal their meaning.
Information
BSIT Students
 The result of processing raw
data to reveal its meaning.
◦ Data processing can be simply to Level 4
Level 1
23%
organize data to reveal patterns or 27%

as complex as making forecasts

or drawing inferences using
statistical modeling.
◦ To reveal meaning, information
requires context
Level 3
24%
Level 2
26%
End user data
 raw facts of interest to the end user.
File-Based Systems
 “A collection of
application
programs that
perform services for
the end-users such
as the production of
reports. Each
program defines
and manages its
own data.”
Connolly/Beggs
File-Based Systems - features
 Application focused
 Based on manual filing systems
 Each application has its own set of data
 Data is divided into application areas
File-Based Systems - Advantages
 Easy to create
◦ Independent sets of data
 Fast for specialized tasks
 Cheap
File-Based Systems - Problems
 Data Isolation
◦ Distinct sets of data
◦ Difficult to cross reference
 Data Redundancy
◦ Each application stores the same data e.g. customer records
 Data Dependence
◦ Storage of data depends on application
◦ Incompatible file formats
 Limited
◦ Query/Search facilities
 Ad hoc queries difficult
◦ Security
 Application dependent
◦ Size
 Storing 500GB+ requires specialist hardware and software
File-Based Systems - Issues
 File-Based Systems do not support
◦ Centralized Data Definition
 Part of application
 Not stored separately from application
◦ Centralized Access Control
 Part of application
 Not controlled independently of application
What is a database?
 A collection of related pieces of data:
 Representing/capturing the information about a real-

world enterprise or part of an enterprise.

 Collected and maintained to serve specific data

management needs of the enterprise.

 Activities of the enterprise are supported by the database

and continually update the database. (Rob, P., et al, 2013)

 A shared collection of logically related data, and a

description of this data, designed to meet the

information needs of an organisation.” Connolly/Begg
A School Database
An Example of a database

 University Database:
◦ Data about students, schools/faculties, courses, research-laboratories,
course registration/enrollment etc.
◦ Reflects the state of affairs of the academic aspects of the university.
◦ Purpose: To keep an accurate track of the academic activities of the
university.
Database Approach -Centralised store of data

 Single repository of data

◦ Shared corporate resource
 Independent of individual applications
◦ No one application dictates use, format, etc
 Self-describing
◦ Contains a description of itself (meta data)
 Data dictionary
◦ Program/application independent
Database Approach –Data Modelling

 Process of describing data

◦ Building a model
◦ Abstraction
 Identifying the entities and relationships in the data
The database System Environment

Database system refers to an organization

of components that define and regulate the
collection, storage, management, and use
of data within a database environment.
The Database System Environment

• hardware,
• software,
• people,
• Procedures
• data.
1. Hardware.
 Hardware refers to all of the system’s physical devices;
◦ computers (microcomputers, workstations, servers, and
supercomputers),
◦ storage devices,
◦ printers,
◦ network devices (hubs, switches, routers, fiber optics),
◦ and other devices (automated teller machines, ID readers, and so on).
2. Software.
 To make the database system function fully, three types of
software are needed:
◦ operating system software,
◦ DBMS software, and
◦ application programs and utilities.
Operating system software
 manages all hardware components and makes it possible for
all other software to run on the computers.
 Examples of operating system software include Microsoft

Windows, Linux, Mac OS, UNIX, and Multiple Virtual Storage

(MVS).
DBMS software
 manages the database within the database system.
 Examples of DBMS software include

◦ Microsoft SQL Server,

◦ Oracle RDBMS
◦ MySQL,
◦ MS Access
◦ IBM DB2.
Application programs and utility software
 Application programs are most commonly used to access and
manipulate data found within the database to generate
reports, tabulations, and other information to facilitate
decision making.
 Utilities are the software tools used to help manage the

database system’s computer components (environment).

◦ For example, all of the major DBMS vendors now provide graphical
user interfaces (GUIs) to help create database structures, control
database access, and monitor database operations.
3. People
 Includes all users of the database system.
 On the basis of primary job functions, five types of users can

be identified in a database system:

◦ systems administrators,
◦ database administrators,
◦ database designers,
◦ systems analysts and programmers,
◦ end users.
System administrators
 oversee the database system’s general operations.
 What are the duties of system administrators ?
Database Administrators (DBAs)
 Manage the DBMS and ensure that the database is functioning
properly.
 What are the duties of Database administrators ?
Database designers
 Design the database structure.
 The database architects.
 If the database design is poor, even the best application

programmers and the most dedicated DBAs cannot produce

a useful database environment. Because organizations
strive to optimize their data resources, the database
designer’s job description has expanded to cover new
dimensions and growing responsibilities.
 What are the duties of Database Designers?
Systems analysts and programmers
 Design and implement the application programs.
 Design and create the data entry screens, reports, and

procedures through which end users access and manipulate

the database’s data.
 What are the duties of system analysts and programmers?
End Users
 The people who use the application programs to run the
organization’s daily operations.
 For example, salesclerks, supervisors, managers, and

directors are all classified as end users.

 High-level end users employ the information obtained from

the database to make tactical and strategic business

decisions.
4. Procedures.
 Procedures are the instructions and rules that govern the
design and use of the database system.
 Procedures are a critical, although occasionally forgotten,

component of the system.

 Procedures play an important role in a company because they

enforce the standards by which business is conducted within

the organization and with customers.
 Procedures also are used to ensure that there is an organized

way to monitor and audit both the data that enter the database
and the information that is generated through the use of that
data.
5. Data.
 Data covers the collection of facts stored in the database.
 the database designer determines what data are to be
entered into the database and how that data are to be
organized.
Questions?
 Define data and information.
 Explain the advantages of DBMS.
 Discuss the purpose of the database system.
 Explain the different types of database users.
 Examine the responsibilities of a DBA?
Conclusion
 A DBMS can be used to build many different types of databases.
 Each database stores a particular collection of data and is used

for a specific purpose.

 Over the years, as technology and innovative uses of databases

have evolved, different methods have been used to classify

databases.
 For example, databases can be classified by the number of

users supported, where the data are located, the type of data
stored, the intended data usage, and the degree to which the
data are structured.
References
Elmasri, R. & Navathe, S., 2013. Fundamentals of Database
Systems. 4th ed. Boston: Digital Vision.

Ramakrishnan, R. & Gehrke, J., 2010. Database management

Systems. 4th ed. New York: MaGraw-Hill.

Rob, P. & Coronel, C., 2012. Database Systems: Design

Implementation and Management. 8th ed. Massachuets: Course
Technology.