Chapter 1:

The Database Environment

Modern Database Management
8th Edition
Jeffrey A. Hoffer, Mary B. Prescott,
Fred R. McFadden
© 2007 by Prentice Hall 1
 Objectives
 Definition of terms
 Explain growth and importance of databases
 Name limitations of conventional file processing
 Identify five categories of databases
 Explain advantages of databases
 Identify costs and risks of databases
 List components of database environment
 Describe evolution of database systems

Chapter 1 © 2007 by Prentice Hall 2

 Definitions
 Database: organized collection of logically
related data
 Data: stored representations of meaningful
objects and events
 a stored representation of objects and
events that have meaning and importance
in the user’s environment.
 Structured: numbers, text, dates
 Unstructured: images, video, documents
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 Definitions
 Information: data processed to increase
knowledge in the person using the data
 Data that have been processed in such a

way as to increase the knowledge of the

person who uses the data.
 Metadata: data that describes the

properties and context of user data

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 Figure 1-1a Data in context

Context helps users understand data

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 Figure 1-1b Summarized data

Graphical displays turn data into

useful information that managers can
use for decision making and
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interpretation 6
 Descriptions of the properties or
characteristics of the data, including data
types, field sizes, allowable values, and data
Chapter 1 context
© 2007 by Prentice Hall 7
 Disadvantages of File
 Program-Data Processing
Dependence
 All programs maintain metadata for each file they use
 Duplication of Data
 Different systems/programs have separate copies of the same data
 Limited Data Sharing
 No centralized control of data
 Lengthy Development Times
 Programmers must design their own file formats
 Excessive Program Maintenance
 80% of information systems budget

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 Problems with Data

Dependency
Each application programmer must maintain his/her
own data
 Each application program needs to include code for the
metadata of each file
 Each application program must have its own processing
routines for reading, inserting, updating, and deleting
data
 Lack of coordination and central control
 Non-standard file formats

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 Figure 1-3 Old file processing systems at Pine Valley
Duplicate Data Furniture Company

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 Problems with Data
Redundancy
 Waste of space to have duplicate data
 Causes more maintenance headaches

 The biggest problem:

 Data changes in one file could cause

inconsistencies
 Compromises in data integrity

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 SOLUTION:
The DATABASE Approach
 Central repository of shared data
 Data is managed by a controlling agent

 Stored in a standardized, convenient

form

Requires a Database Management System (DBMS)

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 Database Management
 A software system that is used to create, maintain, and
provide controlledSystem
access to user databases

Order Filing
System

Invoicing Central database

DBMS
System
Contains employee,
order, inventory,
pricing, and
Payroll
customer data
System

DBMS manages data resources like an operating system manages hardware

resources
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 Advantages of the Database
Approach
 Program-data independence
 Planned data redundancy
 Improved data consistency
 Improved data sharing
 Increased application development productivity
 Enforcement of standards
 Improved data quality
 Improved data accessibility and responsiveness
 Reduced program maintenance
 Improved decision support
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 Advantages of the Database
Approach
 Program-data independence
 Separation of Metadata from its application program
 Planned data redundancy
 DB approach does not eliminate the redundancy
rather it allows the redundancy when Performance
is required
 Improved data consistency
 Controlled redundancy improves consistency e.g.,
Customer address stored once will be updated
accordingly only once

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 Advantages of the Database
 Approach
Improved data sharing
 DB is a shared enterprise resource
 Different User Views for different users e.g., Employees
view for confidential data and Customer view to the
Product catalog
 Increased application development productivity
 With reduced cost and time for application productivity
 Programmers don’t worry about the inner details of the data
files
 Easy generation of forms and report with High Level
Programming tools
 Programmer productivity improve by 60% (Long, 2005)
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 Advantages of the Database
 Approach
Enforcement of standards
 With centralized administration ….. Single point authority
of implementing standards e.g., naming conventions, data
quality standards etc.
 Improved data quality
 By implementation of different data Constraints (Business
rules), relational constraints (only employee entertains
order)
 Improved data accessibility and responsiveness
 By Using simple-to-complex queries
SELECT *
FROM PRODUCT
WHERE Product_Name = “Computer Desk”

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 Advantages of the Database
Approach
 Reduced program maintenance
 Since the program data dependency will be
resolved by the DB approach
 So the Program maintenance will also be
more quick and more easy
 Improved decision support
 DB are specially designed to support
decision e.g., Financial Management
system, Executive Information System etc.
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 Costs and Risks of the Database
Approach
 New, specialized personnel
 With the rapid change the personnels should be
trained and upgraded.
 Installation and management cost and
complexity
 software has a high initial cost, requires a staff of
trained personnel to install and operate, and has
substantial annual maintenance and support costs.
 Upgrades to the hardware and data communications
systems
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 Costs and Risks of the Database
Approach
 Conversion costs
 Legacy Systems
 Need for explicit backup and recovery
 used for providing backup copies of data and for
restoring a database when damage occurs.
 Organizational conflict
 conflicts on data definitions, data formats and
coding, rights to update shared data, and associated
issues are frequent and often difficult to resolve.
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 Elements of the Database
 Data models Approach
 Graphical system capturing nature and
relationship of data
 Enterprise Data Model–high-level entities and
relationships for the organization
 Project Data Model–more detailed view, matching
data structure in database or data warehouse
 Relational Databases
 Database technology involving tables (relations)
representing entities and primary/foreign keys
representing relationships
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 Elements of the Database
Approach
 Use of Internet Technology
 Networks and telecommunications,
distributed databases, client-server,
and 3-tier architectures
 Database Applications
 Application programs used to
perform database activities (create,
read, update, and delete) for
database users
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 Segment of an Enterprise Data Model

Segment of a Project-Level Data Model

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 One customer may
place many orders,
but each order is
placed by a single
customer
 One-to-many
relationship

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 One order has
many order lines;
each order line is
associated with a
single order
 One-to-many
relationship

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 One product can
be in many order
lines, each order
line refers to a
single product
 One-to-many
relationship

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 Therefore, one
order involves
many products and
one product is
involved in many
orders

Chapter 1  Many-to-many
© 2007 by Prentice Hall 27
Figure 1-4 Enterprise data model for Figure 1-3 segments

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 Figure 1-5 Components of the Database
Environment

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 Components of the

Database Environment
CASE Tools–computer-aided software engineering
 Repository–centralized storehouse of metadata
 Database Management System (DBMS) –software for
managing the database
 Database–storehouse of the data
 Application Programs–software using the data
 User Interface–text and graphical displays to users
 Data/Database Administrators–personnel responsible for
maintaining the database
 System Developers–personnel responsible for designing
databases and software
 End Users–people who use the applications and databases
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 The Range of Database
Applications
 Personal databases:
 Database residing on a single PC or PDA
 Simple database having not very

complex or Composite structure

 Demerit: Limited data sharing and

limited computational powers for

complex mathematical operations
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 The Range of Database
Applications
 Workgroup databases
 Limitations of Personal DB has been overcome
by introducing data sharing
 Limited number of Users are allowed to use this
type of databases concurrently
 Different user views for different users
 Demerits/Issues: Concurrency control, Security
Management, Data Consistency/ Integrity Issues
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 The Range of Database
Applications
 Departmental/divisional databases
 Organizational unit having Specific
business Line e.g., Marketing,
Manufacturing, Accounts, Human Resource
 More Diverse and complicated
functions have to be required from
these types of databases
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Chapter 1 © 2007 by Prentice Hall 34
 Figure 1-6
Typical data
from a
personal
database

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Figure 1-6 Workgroup/Tow tier database with wireless/wired
local area network

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 Figure 1-7 Three Tier Client Server database

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 The Range of Database
Applications
 Enterprise database
 Organization wide scope i.e., not limited
to specific department
 It can fulfill the information needs of the

organization. Examples are:

 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
systems
 Data warehousing implementations.

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 Enterprise Database
Applications
 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
 Integrate all enterprise functions
(manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing,
inventory, accounting, human resources)
 Data Warehouse
 Integrated decision support system derived
from various operational databases

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 Figure 1-8 An enterprise data warehouse

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 Evolution of DB Systems

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