Information Management &

Database Systems
Basic Concepts and Definitions
Data = Raw Facts
Information = Processed Data
Data vs. Information
Data
Information
Information
Information
 Metadata

Data that describe the properties or

characteristics of end-user data and
the context of that data.
Metadata
 What is Database?
Database is an organized and shared
collection of logically related data, and a
description of this data (metadata), designed
to meet the information needs of an
organization.
Database Management System (DBMS)

• software that manages data in an

organized or structured way
• a software system that enables the users
to define, create, maintain, and control
access to the database
Database Management System (DBMS)

• MS Access
• Oracle
• MS SQL Server
• MySQL
Database Application Program

• Computer program that interacts with

the database by issuing appropriate
request to the DBMS.
• Usually written in some programming
languages.
 Database System

• A collection of interrelated data and a set

of programs that interact with the
database along with the DBMS and the
database itself.
Traditional File-Based Systems
vs the
Database Approach
Traditional File-Based Systems
Manual File Systems
 Traditional File-Based Systems

Computerized File Systems

Marketing Department

Accounting Department Human Resource Department

 File

•A file is simply a collection of records,

which contains logically related data.
File
File
Limitations of File-Based Approach
• Separation and Isolation of Data
• Duplication of Data
• Program Data Dependence
• Lengthy Development Times
• Fixed queries/proliferation of application
programs
Database Approach
 Data Models

Data models capture the nature of and

relationships among data and are used at
different levels of abstraction as a
database is conceptualized and designed.
 Entities
•Objects about which a business
maintains information
•like a noun in that it describes a person, a
place, an object, an event, or a concept in
the business environment for which
information must be recorded and
retained.
 Attributes

The data you are interested in capturing

about the entity.
 Relationships

Association between entities.

Common Features of DBMS
• It allows users to define the database,
usually through a Data Definition Language
(DDL).
• It allows users to insert, update, delete, and
retrieve data from the database, usually
through a Data Manipulation Language
(DML).
Common Features of DBMS
• It provides controlled access to the
database.
• a recovery control system, which restores
the database to a previous consistent state
following a hardware or software failure;
• a user-accessible catalog, which contains
descriptions of the data in the database.
Database Approach: Advantages

• Program data independence

• Control of data redundancy
• Sharing of data
• Improved data integrity and consistency
• Improved security
Database Approach: Advantages
• Enforcement of standards
• Improved Data Accessibility and
Responsiveness
• Increased Productivity and reduced
development time
• Increased concurrency
• Improved backup and recovery services
Database Approach: Disadvantages

• Complexity
• Size
• Cost of DBMS
• Additional Hardware Cost
Database Approach: Disadvantages

• New, Specialized Personnel

• Cost of Conversion
• Performance
• Higher Impact of Value
 Quiz #1

Bring our ½ sheet of yellow paper

crosswise.
Components of a DBMS Environment
 Hardware
Can range from a single
personal computer, to a single
mainframe, to a network of
computers. The particular
hardware depends on the
organization’s requirements
and the DBMS used
 Software

The DBMS itself and the application

programs, together with the OS, and
network software if the DBMS is being
used over a network.
 Data
• The most important component of the DBMS
environment
• Contains both operational data and the
metadata
• Schema = structure of the database
 Procedures

Procedures refer to the instructions

and rules that govern the design and
use of the database
 People
• Data Administrator
• Responsible for the management of the data
resource including database planning,
development and maintenance of standards,
policies and procedures, and
conceptual/logical database design
 People
• Database Administrator
• Responsible for the physical realization of the
database, including physical database design
and implementation, security and integrity
control, maintenance of the operational
system, and ensuring satisfactory
performance of the application for users
 People

• Database Designers
• Logical Database Designers
• Physical Database Designers
• Logical Database Designer
• concerned with identifying the data (the
entities and attributes), the relationships
between the data, and the constraints
(business rules) on the data that is to be stored
in the database
• Physical Database Designer
• decides how the logical database is to be
physically realized
 People

• Application Developers
• Implements the application programs
that provide the required functionality for
the end users
 End-Users (Clients)

• Naive Users
• Typically unaware of the DBMS
• They access the database through specially
written application programs that attempt to
make the operations as simple as possible
 End-Users (Clients)
• Sophisticated Users
• Familiar with the structure of the database and
the facilities offered by the DBMS.
• May use a high-level query language such as
SQL to perform the required operations
 Seatwork #2
Read Chapter 2 of The Manga Guide to Databases and answer the following
questions:
1. What is a piece of data in a file called?
2. Enumerate the three kinds of databases / data models discussed in the
book.
3. What is another (mathematical) term of database table?
4. What is each item in a record called?
5. What do we call a field that serves as unique identifier for a record?
6. Give three data extraction operations.