Introduction to Database Systems

- Ermias
N.
15, Mar. 2023
Outline
• Overview
• Basics of Database
• File organization verses Database approach
• Users and actors of Database system
• Characteristics of the Database Approach
• Actors on the Scene
Before jumping to Database, What is Data itself?
We hear the word data all the time and it is:

But what exactly is data?

Data are collected observations or measurements
represented as text, numbers or multimedia.

When we think of data we may immediately

think of numbers but data can also be
• Field notes
• Videos
• Audio recordings
• Photographs
• Documents and transcripts
• Data are plain facts.
• The word “data” is plural for “datum.”

When data are processed, organized, structured

or presented in a given context so as to make
them useful, they are called Information.
• Information is the result of processing raw data to
reveal its meaning.
• Data processing can be as simple as organizing
data to reveal patterns or as complex as making
forecasts or drawing inferences using statistical
modeling.
• To reveal meaning, information requires context. NG
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How you relate yourself with databases?
• E-learning system in you university.
• That social media you frequently use.
• The bank you use.
• The Internet service provider you subscribed to.
• The e-commerce marketplace you may used to purchase
an item.
• The app you used to bet on football matches.
Just to mention few….
So what is Database anyway?

• A database is an organized collection of data.

• A database may be generated and maintained manually
or it may be computerized.
• The data is typically organized to model relevant
aspects of reality (for example, the availability of rooms
in hotels)
• Efficient data management typically requires the use of
a computer database.
And it’s a shared, integrated computer structure that
stores a collection of:
 End-user data, that is, raw facts of interest to the end
user.
 Meta data or data about data, through which the end-
user data are integrated and managed.
 For example, Metadata about your communication via
cellphones.
• The metadata also provide a description of the data
characteristics and the set of relationships that links the data
found within the database.
• For example, the metadata component stores information such as
• The name of each data element,
• The type of values (numeric, dates, or text) stored on each data element,
• Whether or not the data element can be left empty,
….And so on.
• The metadata provide information that complements and
expands the value and use of the data.
Given the characteristics of metadata,
you might hear a database described as a
“collection of self-describing data.”

But how we can create and

maintain a database then?
A database management system (DBMS)

• The DBMS is hence a general-purpose software system that

facilitates the processes of defining, constructing, and manipulating
databases for various applications.
• Defining a database involves specifying the data types, structures,
and constraints for the data to be stored in the database.
• Constructing the database is the process of storing the data itself
on some storage medium that is controlled by the DBMS.
• Manipulating a database includes such functions as querying the
database to retrieve specific data, updating the database to reflect
changes in the mini world, and generating reports from the data.
A database management system (DBMS)

• The DBMS is hence a general-purpose software system that

facilitates the processes of defining, constructing, and manipulating
databases for various applications.
• Defining a database involves specifying the data types, structures,
and constraints for the data to be stored in the database.
• Constructing the database is the process of storing the data itself
on some storage medium that is controlled by the DBMS.
• Manipulating a database includes such functions as querying the
database to retrieve specific data, updating the database to reflect
changes in the mini world, and generating reports from the data.
Types of Database
Single-User Database:
• Designed for use by one person or application at a time.
• Runs on a desktop computer with a client-server architecture.
• Provides a single point of access to data records.
• Examples include Microsoft Access, SQLite, and FileMaker.
Multi-User Database System
• Designed to handle multiple simultaneous users.
• Runs on a server and requires network access for
clients to connect.
• Can handle multiple transactions at the same time
and provides parallelism.
• Offers advanced security and backup features.
• Examples include MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft
SQL Server.
Types of Database

In summary, the main difference between the

two is the number of users that can access the
database at the same time, as well as the
architecture and features each type of database
offers.
Database and File
System
Before even that… what about
manual approach?
• A primitive and traditional way of information
handling.
• Cards and paper are used for the purpose.
• Insertion and retrieval is done by searching first for
the right cabinet then for the right the file then the
information.
• Cabinets could be kept in safe places for security
purpose.
Database Approach
• Computerized record keeping system or a kind of electronic filing
cabinet.
• It’s shared collection of logically related data designed to meet the
information needs of an organization.
• Since it is a shared corporate resource, the database is integrated
with minimum amount of or no duplication.
Problems associated with
file systems
• Lengthy development times

• Difficulty of getting quick answers

• Complex system administration

• Lack of security and limited data sharing

• Data redundancy • These problems highlight the limitations of file systems,

especially as data becomes more complex and requires
• Data inconsistency more advanced features to manage it effectively.
• Therefore, many organizations have moved towards
• Lack of Data integrity database management systems (DBMS) that provide
better security, scalability, and data management
• capabilities.
Concurrent-access anomalies
Benefits of the Database Approach

• Data can be shared: two or more users can access and use
same data instead of storing data in redundant manner for
each user.

• Improved accessibility of data: by using structured query

languages, the users can easily access data without
programming experience.

• Redundancy can be reduced: isolated data is integrated in

database to decrease the redundant data stored at different
applications.
Benefits of the Database Approach

• Inconsistency can be avoided: controlled data

redundancy will avoid inconsistency of the data in the
database to some extent.

• Integrity can be maintained: data at different

applications will be integrated together with additional
constraints to facilitate shared data resource.

• Quality data can be maintained: the different

integrity constraints in the database approach will
maintain the quality leading to better decision making
Benefits of the Database Approach
• Security majors can be enforced: the shared data can be
secured by having different levels of clearance and other data
security mechanisms.

• Compactness: since it is an electronic data handling method, the

data is stored compactly (no voluminous papers).

• Speed: data storage and retrieval is fast as it will be using the

modern fast computer systems.

• Less labour: unlike the other data handling methods, data

maintenance will not demand much resource.

• Centralized information control: since relevant data in the

organization will be stored at one repository, it can be controlled
Limitations and Risk of
Database Approach

• Increased costs
• Management complexity
 Characteristics of the
Database Approach
• Self-Describing Nature of a Database System
 Database system contains not only the database itself but also a complete
definition or description of the database structure and constraints.
 This definition contains information such as the structure of each file, the type
and storage format of each data item, and various constraints on the data.
 It’s called meta-data

• Program-data independence
 In traditional file processing, the structure of data files is embedded in the access
programs.
 So any changes to the structure of a file may require changing all programs
that access this file.
 By contrast, DBMS access programs do not require such changes in most cases.
 Characteristics of the
Database Approach
• Support of Multiple Views of the Data
 A database typically has many users
 And, each of whom may require a different perspective or view of the database.

• Sharing of Data and Multiuser Transaction Processing

 A multiuser DBMS, as its name implies, must allow multiple users to access the
database at the same time.
 This is essential if data for multiple applications is to be integrated and
maintained in a single database. The DBMS must include concurrency control
software to ensure that several users trying to update the same data do so in a
controlled manner so that the result of the updates is correct.
Actors on the
Scene
• Database Administrators(DBA)
 Oversee and manage data + DBMS and related softwires
 Create account for the user
 Providing security to the database
 Monitors the recovery and back up and provide technical support.
 May repairs damage caused due to hardware and/or software failures.

• Database Designers
 They identifying the data to be stored in the database
 Choose appropriate structures to represent and store this data.
Actors on the
Scene
• End Users
 Casual end users
 Naive or parametric end users
 Sophisticated end users

• System Analysts and Application Programmers (Software Engineers)

 System analysts determine the requirements of end users, especially naive and
parametric end users, and develop specifications for canned transactions that
meet these requirements.
 Application programmers implement these specifications as programs; then
they test, debug, document, and maintain these canned transactions