Chapter 1

Introduction to
Database and
Database users
Jan 24, 2016

Fundamentals  of  Database                                                            

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Dr.  Walid  Besbes   1
Outline

§Introduction
§An Example
§Characteristics of the Database Approach
§Actors on the Scene
§Workers behind the Scene
§A Brief History of Database Applications
§When Not to Use a DBMS

2
 Overview

§ Traditional database applications

§ Store textual or numeric information
§ Multimedia databases
§ Store images, audio clips, and video streams
digitally
§ Geographic information systems (GIS)
§ Store and analyze maps, weather data, and
satellite images

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               3
 Overview

§ Data warehouses and online analytical

processing (OLAP) systems
§ Extract and analyze useful business
information from very large databases
§ Support decision making
§ Real-time and active database
technology
§ Control industrial and manufacturing processes

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               4
 Introduction

§ Database
§ Collection of related data
§ Known facts that can be recorded and that
have implicit meaning
§ Mini-world or universe of discourse (UoD)
§ Represents some aspect of the real world
§ Logically coherent collection of data with
inherent meaning
§ Built for a specific purpose

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               5
 Introduction

§ Example of a large commercial database

§ Amazon.com
§ Database management system (DBMS)
§ Collection of programs
§ Enables users to create and maintain a
database
§ Defining a database
§ Specify the data types, structures, and
constraints of the data to be stored
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               6
 Introduction

§ Meta-data
§ Database definition or descriptive information
§ Stored by the DBMS in the form of a database
catalog or dictionary
§ Manipulating a database
§ Query and update the database mini-world
§ Generate reports

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               7
 Introduction

§ Sharing a database
§ Allow multiple users and programs to access
the database simultaneously
§ Application program
§ Accesses database by sending queries to
DBMS
§ Query
§ Causes some data to be retrieved

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               8
 Introduction

§ Transaction
§ May cause some data to be read and some
data to be written into the database
§ Protection includes:
§ System protection
§ Security protection
§ Maintain the database system
§ Allow the system to evolve as requirements
change over time
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               9
 Example 1

§ UNIVERSITY database
§ Information concerning students, courses, and
grades in a university environment
§ Data records
§ STUDENT
§ COURSE
§ SECTION
§ GRADE_REPORT
§ PREREQUISITE
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               10
 Example 1

§ Specify structure of records of each file by

specifying data type for each data element
§ String of alphabetic characters
§ Integer
§ Etc.

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               11
 Example 1

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               12
 Example 1

§ Construct UNIVERSITY database

§ Store data to represent each student, course,
section, grade report, and prerequisite as a
record in appropriate file
§ Relationships among the records
§ Manipulation involves querying and
updating

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               13
 Example 1

§ Examples of queries:
§ Retrieve the transcript
§ List the names of students who took the section
of the ‘Database’ course offered in fall 2015
and their grades in that section
§ List the prerequisites of the ‘Database’ course

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               14
 Example 1

§ Examples of updates:
§ Create a new section for the ‘Database’ course
for this semester
§ Enter a grade of ‘A’ for ‘Smith’ in the ‘Database’
section of last semester

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               15
 § Phases for designing a database:
§ Requirements specification and analysis
§ Conceptual design
§ Logical design
§ Physical design

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               16
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               17
 Characteristics of the Database Approach

§ Traditional file processing

§ Each user defines and implements the files
needed for a specific software application
§ Database approach
§ Single repository maintains data that is defined
once and then accessed by various users

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               18
 Characteristics of the Database Approach

§ Main characteristics of database approach

§ Self-describing nature of a database system
§ Insulation between programs and data, and
data abstraction
§ Support of multiple views of the data
§ Sharing of data and multiuser transaction
processing

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               19
 Data abstraction

§ Data abstraction
§ Allows program-data independence and
program-operation independence
§ Conceptual representation of data
§ Does not include details of how data is stored
or how operations are implemented
§ Data model
§ Type of data abstraction used to provide
conceptual representation

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               20
 Support of multiple views of the Data

§ View
§ Subset of the database
§ Contains virtual data derived from the
database files but is not explicitly stored
§ Multiuser DBMS
§ Users have a variety of distinct applications
§ Must provide facilities for defining multiple
views

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               21
 Sharing of Data and Multiuser Transact
ion Processing
§ Allow multiple users to access the database
at the same time
§ Concurrency control software
§ Ensure that several users trying to update the
same data do so in a controlled manner
• Result of the updates is correct
§ Online transaction processing (OLTP)
application

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               22
 Sharing of Data and Multiuser Transact
ion Processing
§ Transaction
§ Central to many database applications
§ Executing program or process that includes
one or more database
§ Isolation property
• Each transaction appears to execute in isolation
from other transactions
§ Atomicity property

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               23
 Actors on the scene

§ Database administrators (DBA) are

responsible for:
§ Authorizing access to the database
§ Coordinating and monitoring its use
§ Acquiring software and hardware resources
§ Database designers are responsible for:
§ Identifying the data to be stored
§ Choosing appropriate structures to represent
and store this data
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               24
 Actors on the scene

§ End users
§ People whose jobs require access to the
database
§ Types
• Casual end users
• Naive or parametric end users
• Sophisticated end users
• Standalone users

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               25
 Actors on the scene

§ System analysts
§ Determine requirements of end users
§ Application programmers
§ Implement these specifications as programs

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               26
 Workers behind the scene

§ DBMS system designers and

implementers
§ Design and implement the DBMS modules and
interfaces as a software package
§ Tool developers
§ Design and implement tools
§ Operators and maintenance personnel
§ Responsible for running and maintenance of
hardware and software environment for
database system
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               27
 A brief history of Database applications

§ Early database applications using

hierarchical and network systems
§ Large numbers of records of similar structure
§ Providing data abstraction and application
flexibility with relational databases
§ Separates physical storage of data from its
conceptual representation
§ Provides a mathematical foundation for data
representation and querying

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               28
 A brief history of Database applications

§ Object-oriented applications and the need

for more complex databases
§ Used in specialized applications: engineering
design, multimedia publishing, and
manufacturing systems
§ Interchanging data on the Web for e-
commerce using XML
§ Extended markup language (XML) primary
standard for interchanging data among various
types of databases and Web pages
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               29
 A brief history of Database applications

§ Extending database capabilities for new

applications
§ Extensions to better support specialized
requirements for applications
§ Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
§ Customer relationship management (CRM)
§ Databases versus information retrieval
§ Information retrieval (IR)
• Deals with books, manuscripts, and various forms of
library-based articles
Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               30
 A brief history of Database applications

§ Database
§ Collection of related data (recorded facts)
§ DBMS
§ Generalized software package for
implementing and maintaining a computerized
database
§ Several categories of database users
§ Database applications have evolved

Chapter  1:  Introduc<on  to  DB  and  DB  users   Fundamentals  of  Database                                                               31