Chapter 2

Introduction to Database
Development
Outline
 I. Context for database development
 II. Goals of database development
 III. Phases of database development
 IV. Impact of CASE tools

2-2
Information System case study
INPUTS OUTPUTS
Loan Applications
PROCESSES Delinquency
Notices
ENVIRONMENT
Student Loan ENVIRONMENT
Payments Processing Statements
System
Cash
Status
Disbursements
Changes

DATABASE
2-3
Traditional Life Cycle
Problem Statement,
Preliminary Feasibility Study A.K.A. Waterfall or
Investigation Linear-Sequential Process
System Requirements
Systems
Analysis

Design Specifications
Systems
Feedback Design

Operational
Systems System
Feedback Implementation

Maintenance
Feedback

2-4
Development Alternatives
 Difficulties
 Operational system is often produced late
 Rush to begin implementation (skip req’s)
 Requirements are difficult to capture
 Alternative methodologies
 Spiral approaches
 Rapid application development
 Prototypes may reduce risk
 Provides early feedback

2-5
Graphical Models
 Explicit or implicit
 Data model (e.g., E.R.D.)
 Process model (e.g., Transition Diagram)
 Environment interaction model (e.g., UML)
 We’ll emphasize the data model in this
course as the others are taught elsewhere
(CS407)

2-6
II. Broad Goals of Database
Development: (outline)
 Develop a common vocabulary
 Define data meaning
 Ensure data quality
 Provide efficient implementation

2-7
Develop a Common
Vocabulary
 Diverse groups of users
 Difficult to obtain acceptance of a common
vocabulary
 Compromise to find least objectionable
solution
 Unify organization by establishing a
common vocabulary

2-8
Define Meaning of Data
 Business rules support organizational
policies
 Restrictiveness of business rules
 Too restrictive: reject valid business
interactions
 Too loose: allow erroneous business
interactions
 Exceptions allow flexibility

2-9
Data Quality
 Poor data quality leads to poor decision
making
 Difficult customer communication
 Inventory shortages
 Cost-benefit tradeoff to achieve desired
level of data quality
 Long-term effects of poor data quality

2-10
Data Quality Measures
 Completeness
 Lack of ambiguity
 Timeliness
 Correctness
 Consistency
 Reliability

2-11
Efficient Implementation
 Supersedes other goals
 Optimization problem
 Maximize performance
 Subject to constraints of data quality, data
meaning, and resource usage
 Difficult problem:
 Number of choices
 Relationships among choices
 DBMS specific
2-12
III. Database Development Phases

Conceptual Data
Data Modeling
requirements
ERD

Logical Database
Design

Tables

Distributed Database
Design
Distribution Schema

Physical Database Internal Schema,

Design Populated DB

2-13
Conceptual Data Modeling
 Information content of the database
 Entity relationship diagram (ERD) showing
entity types and relationships
 Historically, DBMSs did not support many
constraints.
 Diverse formats for database requirements

2-14
Logical Database Design
 Refine conceptual design
 Convert ERD to table design
 Analyze design for excessive
redundancies
 Normalization: tool to reason about
redundancies
 Add constraints to enforce business rules

2-15
Distributed Database Design
 Location of data and processing
 Performance orientation, not information
content orientation
 Allocate subsets of database to different
sites
 Replicate subsets of database to improve
availability

2-16
Physical Database Design
 Performed at each independent database
site
 Minimize response time without
consuming excessive resources
 Tradeoffs: retrieval versus update
 Decisions: indexes, data placement

2-17
Splitting Conceptual Design
Conceptual Data Modeling

Data Requirements

View Design

View ERDs

View Integration

Entity Relationship Diagrams

2-18
Cross Checking Requirements
System
Requirements

Data Requirements Application Requirements

Database Application
Development Cross
Development
Checking Process Models,
ERDs, Table Design, Interaction Models,
... Prototypes

Operational Operational
Database Applications

Operational
System

2-19
Design Skills
 “Soft” Skills
 Qualitative
 Degree of subjectivity
 People-oriented
 E.g., soliciting and documenting requirements

 “Hard” Skills
 Quantitative
 Objective
 Intensive data analysis
 E.g., coding precise SQL statements

2-20
Design Skills in Phases
Data Requirements Design Skills

Conceptual Data Soft

Modeling

Entity Relationship
Diagrams

Logical Database
Design

Relational Database
Tables

Distributed
Database Design

Distribution Schema

Physical
Database Design

Internal Schema, Populated Database Hard

2-21
IV. Features of CASE Tools
 Diagramming (modeling)
 Documentation
 Analysis
 Prototyping
 Code Generation (e.g., SQL, VB, Java)

2-22
Classification of CASE Tools
 Front-end vs. Back-end
 Front-end emphasize data modeling and
logical analysis
 Back-end emphasize code generation and
physical design
 DBMS dependent vs. DBMS independent

2-23
Commercial CASE Tools
 PowerDesigner 10
 Oracle Designer 10g
 Visual Studio .Net Enterprise Architect
 ERWin Data Modeler
 ER/Studio (E.R.D.)
 Visible Analyst
 Tabledesigner (S.O.M.)

2-24
ER Assistant
 CASE tool distributed with the textbook
 Customized for this textbook: supports the
ERD notation used in Chapters 5 and 6
 Drawing tool
 Diagram checking
 Easy to use and powerful tool
 Version lacks SQL code generation
 See O:/ drive for software
2-25
 ER Assistant

ER Assistant is included with the textbook 2-26

 ER Assistant

The menu is intuitive. Simply click “Insert” and then “Attributes.”

2-27
Visio Professional
 Entry level version of Visual Studio.Net
Enterprise Architect
 Drawing tools
 Stencils for database diagrams
 Glue feature to retain connections
 Data dictionary support
 Analysis tools
 Diagram layout
 Reverse engineering

2-28
Summary
 Background for Chapters 5 to 8
 Relationship to information systems
development
 Broad goals
 Development phases
 CASE tool features
 Be prepared to use ER-Assistant in the lab
for future assignments.

2-29
Assignment
 Use ER-Assistant to create a design of
your own choosing. It must contain 3
entities that are related and each entity
must have at least 3 attributes. Place your
name in the “notes” section on the
diagram. Print your design and hand in at
the beginning of our next class meeting.
 Note that ER-Assistant can be used to
create complex designs (schemas):
2-30
2-31