Chapter 1

Introduction: Databases and

Database Users
Outline
 Types of Databases and Database Applications
 Basic Definitions
 Typical DBMS Functionality
 Example of a Database (UNIVERSITY)
 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
 Database Users
 Advantages of Using the Database Approach
 When Not to Use Databases

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Types of Databases and Database
Applications
 Traditional Applications:
 Numeric and Textual Databases
 More Recent Applications:
 Multimedia Databases
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
 Data Warehouses
 Real-time and Active Databases
 Many other applications
 First part of book focuses on traditional applications
 A number of recent applications are described later in the
book (for example, Chapters 24,26,28,29,30)

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Data Warehouses

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Basic Definitions
 Database:
 A collection of logically related data.

 Data:
 Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning.

 Mini-world:
 Some part of the real world about which data is stored in a

database. For example, student grades and transcripts at a

university.
 Database Management System (DBMS):
 A software package/ system to facilitate the creation and

maintenance of a computerized database.

 Database System:
 The DBMS software together with the data itself. Sometimes, the

applications are also included.

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Properties of database
 Represents some aspect of the real world, called
miniworld
 Logically coherent collection of data with some
inherent meaning
 Designed, built and populated for specific
purpose
Simplified database system environment

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When is a database system needed?
Examples

Typical Environment
 Corporate Enterprise

 Data With Large Homogenous Parts (e.g., Formatted

Data)
 Data Relevant Over a Long Time

 Data Used by Many Simultaneous Users (Batch and

On-line Users) for Retrieval & Update

What is a DBMS?
Database Management System is a general
purpose software system that facilitates the process
of
 defining,
 constructing and
 manipulating
database for various applications
What is DBMS?

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Typical DBMS Functionality
 Define a particular database in terms of its data types,
structures, and constraints
 Construct or Load the initial database contents on a
secondary storage medium
 Manipulating the database:
 Retrieval: Querying, generating reports
 Modification: Insertions, deletions and updates to its content
 Accessing the database through Web applications
 Processing and Sharing by a set of concurrent users and
application programs – yet, keeping all data valid and
consistent

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Typical DBMS Functionality
 Other features:
 Protection or Security measures to prevent
unauthorized access
 “Active” processing to take internal actions on data
 Presentation and Visualization of data
 Maintaining the database and associated
programs over the lifetime of the database
application
 Called database, software, and system
maintenance

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What is DBMS?

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Main functions of DBMS
 Defining a Database:
Specifying Data Types, Structures, and
Constraints
 Constructing a Database:
the Process of Storing the Data Itself on Some
Storage Medium
 Manipulating a Database:
Function for Querying Specific Data in the
Database and Updating the Database
Additional functions of DBMS
 Interaction with File Manager
So that Details Related to Data Storage and Access are
Removed From Application Programs
 Integrity Enforcement
Guarantee Correctness, Validity, Consistency
 Security Enforcement
Prevent Data From Illegal Uses
 Concurrency Control
Control the Interference Between Concurrent Programs
 Recovery from Failure
 Query Processing and Optimization
 Motivating database management
 Manual Database Management
 Programmer Defines Both Logical Data Structure and Physical
Structure (Storage)
 Motivating database management
 File Processing
 Data are Stored in Files with Interface Between Programs and Files.
 Various Access Methods Exist (E.G., Sequential, Indexed, Random)
 One File Corresponds to One or Several Programs.
 Problems with file systems
 Data are Still Highly Redundant
 Sharing Limited and at the File Level
 Data is Unstructured
 “Flat” Files
 High Maintenance Costs
 Data Dependence
 Ensuring Data Consistency and Controlling Access to Data
(Concurrent Access Problematic)
 Difficult to Understand by New Developers
 Difficulties in Developing New Applications
 Almost Impossible to Evolve with New Capabilities
 Risk of Inefficient Applications
 Database vs. File System

Coordinates Both Physical and Coordinates Only the Physical

Logical Access to the Data Access to the Data
Data are Shared by All Programs Data Written by One Program May
Authorized to Have Access to It Not Be Readable by Another
Flexible Access to Data (i.e., Program
Queries) Pre-determined Access to Data
Multiple Users Accessing the Same (I.E., Compiled Programs)
Data at Same Time No Two Programs Can Concurrently
Access the Same File
Example of a Database
(with a Conceptual Data Model)
 Mini-world for the example:
 Part of a UNIVERSITY environment.
 Some mini-world entities:
 STUDENTs
 COURSEs
 SECTIONs (of COURSEs)
 (academic) DEPARTMENTs
 INSTRUCTORs

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Example of a Database
(with a Conceptual Data Model)
 Some mini-world relationships:
 SECTIONs are of specific COURSEs
 STUDENTs take SECTIONs
 COURSEs have prerequisite COURSEs
 INSTRUCTORs teach SECTIONs
 COURSEs are offered by DEPARTMENTs
 STUDENTs major in DEPARTMENTs

 Note: The above entities and relationships are typically

expressed in a conceptual data model, such as the
ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP data model (see Chapters 3, 4)

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Example of a
simple
database
Example of a simple database

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Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach
 Self-describing nature of a database system:
 A DBMS catalog stores the description of a particular
database (e.g. data structures, types, and constraints)
 The description is called meta-data.
 This allows the DBMS software to work with different
database applications.
 Insulation between programs and data:
 Called program-data independence.
 Allows changing data structures and storage organization
without having to change the DBMS access programs.

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Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach (continued)
 Data Abstraction:
 A data model is used to hide storage details and
present the users with a conceptual view of the
database.
 Programs refer to the data model constructs rather
than data storage details
 Support of multiple views of the data:
 Each user may see a different view of the
database, which describes only the data of
interest to that user.

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Main Characteristics of the Database
Approach (continued)
 Sharing of data and multi-user transaction
processing:
 Allowing a set of concurrent users to retrieve from and to
update the database.
 Concurrency control within the DBMS guarantees that each
transaction is correctly executed or aborted
 Recovery subsystem ensures each completed transaction
has its effect permanently recorded in the database
 OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) is a major part of
database applications. This allows hundreds of concurrent
transactions to execute per second.

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Database Users
 Users may be divided into
 Those who actually use and control the database
content, and those who design, develop and
maintain database applications (called “Actors on
the Scene”), and
 Those who design and develop the DBMS
software and related tools, and the computer
systems operators (called “Workers Behind the
Scene”).

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Database Users
 Actors on the scene
 Database administrators:
 Responsible for authorizing access to the database,
for coordinating and monitoring its use, acquiring
software and hardware resources, controlling its use
and monitoring efficiency of operations.
 Database Designers:
 Responsible to define the content, the structure, the
constraints, and functions or transactions against
the database. They must communicate with the
end-users and understand their needs.

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Categories of End-users
 Actors on the scene (continued)
 End-users: They use the data for queries, reports
and some of them update the database content.
End-users can be categorized into:
 Casual: access database occasionally when
needed
 Naïve or Parametric: they make up a large section
of the end-user population.
 They use previously well-defined functions in the form of
“canned transactions” against the database.
 Examples are bank-tellers or reservation clerks who do
this activity for an entire shift of operations.

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Categories of End-users (continued)
 Sophisticated:
 These include business analysts, scientists, engineers,
others thoroughly familiar with the system capabilities.
 Many use tools in the form of software packages that work
closely with the stored database.
 Stand-alone:
 Mostly maintain personal databases using ready-to-use
packaged applications.
 An example is a tax program user that creates its own
internal database.
 Another example is a user that maintains an address book

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Advantages of Using the Database
Approach
 Controlling redundancy in data storage and in
development and maintenance efforts.
 Sharing of data among multiple users.
 Restricting unauthorized access to data.
 Providing persistent storage for program Objects
 In Object-oriented DBMSs – see Chapters 20-22
 Providing Storage Structures (e.g. indexes) for
efficient Query Processing

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Advantages of Using the Database
Approach (continued)
 Providing backup and recovery services.
 Providing multiple interfaces to different classes
of users.
 Representing complex relationships among data.
 Enforcing integrity constraints on the database.
 Drawing inferences and actions from the stored
data using deductive and active rules

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When not to use a DBMS
 When no DBMS may suffice:
 If the database system is not able to handle the
complexity of data because of modeling limitations
 If the database users need special operations not
supported by the DBMS.

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Summary
 Types of Databases and Database Applications
 Basic Definitions
 Typical DBMS Functionality
 Example of a Database (UNIVERSITY)
 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
 Database Users
 Advantages of Using the Database Approach
 When Not to Use Databases

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 Practice DDL
CREATE TABLE department(
d_id INT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY,
d_name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(d_id)
);

CREATE TABLE employee(

e_id INT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY,
e_name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
d_id INT,
PRIMARY KEY(e_id),

CONSTRAINT fk_department
FOREIGN KEY(d_id)
REFERENCES department(d_id)
);

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