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09 - File Processing Versus Database Management Systems

A database is a structured collection of data that allows for efficient access and retrieval. Valuable information derived from data must be accurate, verifiable, timely, organized, accessible, useful, and cost-effective. The document also contrasts file processing systems with the database approach, highlighting the advantages of reduced redundancy, improved data integrity, and easier access through a database management system (DBMS).

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5 views

09 - File Processing Versus Database Management Systems

A database is a structured collection of data that allows for efficient access and retrieval. Valuable information derived from data must be accurate, verifiable, timely, organized, accessible, useful, and cost-effective. The document also contrasts file processing systems with the database approach, highlighting the advantages of reduced redundancy, improved data integrity, and easier access through a database management system (DBMS).

Uploaded by

hanzalayasin358
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Database

Database is a collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use
of that data.
Data is a collection of unprocessed items, which can include text, numbers, images, audio,
and video.
Information is processed data; that is, it is organized, meaningful, and useful.
Qualities of Valuable Information
The information that data generates also is an important asset. People make decisions daily
using all types of information such as receipts, bank statements, pension plan summaries,
stock analyses, and credit reports.
• Accurate information is error free. Inaccurate information can lead to incorrect decisions.
For example, consumers assume their credit report is accurate. If your credit report
incorrectly shows past due payments, a bank may not lend you money for a car or house.
• Verifiable information can be proven as correct or incorrect. For example, security
personnel at an airport usually request some type of photo identification to verify that you
are the person named on the ticket.
• Timely information has an age suited to its use. A decision to build additional schools in a
particular district should be based on the most recent census report — not on one that is 20
years old.
• Organized information is arranged to suit the needs and requirements of the decision
maker. Different people may need the same information presented in a different manner.
For example, an inventory manager may want an inventory report to list out-of-stock items
first. The purchasing agent, instead, wants the report alphabetized by vendor.
• Accessible information is available when the decision maker needs it. Having to wait for
information may delay an important decision.
• Useful information has meaning to the person who receives it. Most information is
important only to certain people or groups of people.
• Cost-effective information should give more value than it costs to produce.

THE HIERARCHY OF DATA


Data is organized in layers. In the computer profession, data is classified in a hierarchy. Each
higher level of data consists of one or more items from the lower level. For example, a
member has an address, and an address consists of letters and numbers.
Characters
A bit is the smallest unit of data the computer can process. Eight bits grouped together in a
unit comprise a byte. In the ASCII and EBCDIC coding schemes, each byte represents a single
character, which can be a number (4), letter (R), punctuation mark (?), or other symbol (&).
Database
Fields
A field is a combination of one or more related characters or bytes and is the smallest unit
of data a user access. A field name uniquely identifies each field. The field size defines the
maximum number of characters a field can contain. The data type specifies the kind of data
a field can contain and how the field is used. Common data types include:
• Text (also called alphanumeric) — letters, numbers, or special characters
• Numeric — numbers only
Records
A record is a group of related fields. For example, a member record includes a set of fields
about one member. A key field, or primary key, is a field that uniquely identifies each
record in a file.
Files
A data file is a collection of related records stored on a storage medium such as a hard disk,
CD, or DVD. A Member file at a discount warehouse might consist of hundreds of individual
member records. Each member record in the file contains the same fields. Each field,
however, contains different data.

MAINTAINING DATA
File maintenance refers to the procedures that keep data current. File maintenance
procedures include adding records to, changing records in, and deleting records from a file.
Adding Records
Users add new records to a file when they obtain new data.
Changing Records
Generally, users change a record in a file for two reasons:
(1) to correct inaccurate data or
(2) to update old data with new data.
Deleting Records
When a record no longer is needed, a user deletes it from a file.

Validating Data
Validation is the process of comparing data with a set of rules or values to find out if the data
is correct. Many programs perform a validity check that analyzes entered data to help ensure
that it is correct.
ALPHABETIC/NUMBERIC CHECK An alphabetic check ensures that users enter only alphabetic
data into a field. A numeric check ensures that users enter only numeric data into a field.
Database
RANGE CHECK A range check determines whether a number is within a specified range.
CONSISTENCY CHECK A consistency check tests the data in two or more associated fields to
ensure that the relationship is logical. For example, the value in a Date Joined field cannot
occur earlier in time than a value in a Birth Date field.
COMPLETENESS CHECK A completeness check verifies that a required field contains data. For
example, some fields cannot be left blank; others require a minimum number of characters.
One completeness check can ensure that data exists in a Last Name field. Another can ensure
that a day, month, and year are included in a Birth Date field.
CHECK DIGIT A check digit is a number(s) or character(s) that is appended to or inserted in a
primary key value. A check digit often confirms the accuracy of a primary key value. Bank
account, credit card, and other identification numbers often include one or more check digits.

File Processing Systems vs The Database Approach


File Processing Systems
In the past, many organizations exclusively used file processing systems to store and manage
data. In a typical file processing system, each department or area within an organization has
its own set of files. The records in one file may not relate to the records in any other file.
Companies have used file processing systems for many years. A lot of these systems, however,
have two major weaknesses: they have redundant data and they isolate data.
• Data Redundancy — Each department or area in a company has its own files in a file
processing system. Thus, the same fields are stored in multiple files.
Duplicating data in this manner wastes resources such as storage space and people’s time.
When new members are added or member data is changed, file maintenance tasks consume
additional time because people must update multiple files that contain the same data.
Data redundancy also can increase the chance of errors.
• Isolated Data — Often it is difficult to access data stored in separate files in different
departments. Sharing data from multiple, separate files is a complicated procedure and
usually requires the experience of a computer programmer.

The Database Approach


When a company uses the database approach, many programs and users share the data in
the database. The database does secure its data, however, so only authorized users can access
certain data items. While a user is working with the database, the DBMS resides in the
memory of the computer.
The database approach addresses many of the weaknesses associated with file processing
systems. The following list presents some strengths of the database approach.
• Reduced Data Redundancy — Most data items are stored in only one file, which greatly
Database
reduces duplicate data.
• Improved Data Integrity — When users modify data in the database, they make changes to
one file instead of multiple files. Thus, the database approach increases the data’s integrity
by reducing the possibility of introducing inconsistencies.
• Shared Data — The data in a database environment belongs to and is shared, usually over
a network, by the entire organization. Companies that use databases typically have security
settings to define who can access, add, change, and delete the data in a database.
• Easier Access — The database approach allows nontechnical users to access and maintain
data, providing they have the necessary privileges.
• Reduced Development Time — It often is easier and faster to develop programs that use
the database approach.
Databases have many advantages as well as some disadvantages. A database can be more
complex than a file processing system. People with special training usually develop larger
databases and their associated applications. Databases also require more memory, storage,
and processing power than file processing systems.
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
a database management system (DBMS), or database program, is software that allows you
to create, access, and manage a database.
A data dictionary contains data about each file in the database and each field within those
files

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