FUNDAMENTALS OF DATABASE

SYSTEMS
 CHAPETR ONE
INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE SYSTEMS
 Introduction
Definition
•A database is a collection of related data
For example, the names, telephone numbers,
and addresses of the people you know is a
collection of related data with an implicit meaning
and hence is a database.
It is fair to say that databases play critical role in
almost all areas, including business, electronic
commerce, engineering, medicine, law,
education, and library science, to name a few
 Intro…
Databases have become an essential component
of everyday life in modern society
For instance:
Bank transaction:
Accountowner, withdrawal ,deposit,tranisfer,balance
Hotel reservation
 Hotelname,l ocation,floor,room,roomprice,date
Airline Reservation
 Flightdate,source,destination,flightduration,time
Computerized library catalog
 Booktitle,author,edition,ISBN,borrower
Online shopping
 Itemname,category,price,discount,deliverymode
Supermarkets for their inventory item control
All of these activities involve data base systems for their efficient
services
 Traditional VS Modern DB
•Traditional Data base:
• involves only text and numeric
•For instance: all the above mentioned DBS
•Modern Database : are recent data base
applications as a result of the advance in Tech.
• Multimedia data bases
• GIS: process image from satellite, maps, weather
• Data ware house & online analytical processing: to extract &
analyze useful info from large databases for decision making
• www for online search
 Properties of Database
A database represents some aspect of the real
world, sometimes called the miniworld or the
universe of discourse (DoD).
 A database is a logically coherent collection of
data with some inherent meaning.
 Note: a random assortment of data cannot correctly be
referred to as a database.
A database is designed, built, and populated with
data for a specific purpose.
 It has an intended group of users and some
preconceived applications in which these users are
interested.
 DBMS(Data base Management System)
A DBMS is a collection of programs that enables
users to create and maintain a database.
It is a general-purpose software system that
facilitates the processes of defining, constructing,
manipulating, and sharing databases among
various users and applications.
 DBMS……
Defining a database:- involves specifying the data
types, structures, and constraints for the data to be
stored in the database
Constructing the database: is the process of
storing the data itself on some storage medium that
is controlled by the DBMS
Manipulating a database: includes such functions
as querying the database to retrieve specific data,
updating the database, and generating reports from
the data
Sharing a database: allows multiple users and
programs to access the database concurrently.
 DBMS……
Protection: includes both
• system protection
against hardware or software malfunction (or crashes), and
• security protection (authentication and authorization)
protect against unauthorized or malicious access.

 Maintain the DBMS: must be able to maintain the

database system by allowing the system to evolve as
requirements change over time.
 Users/programmers
Application programs/queries

Software to process queries/programs

DBMS software
Software to access stored data

Stored database
Stored Database
definition(Meta Data)

Figure :A simplified Database system Environment

 Characteristics of Database Approach
File system Vs Database Approach
A. Traditional File processing(File system):
•In traditional file processing, each user defines
and implements the files needed for a specific
software application as part of programming the
application
•For example, one user, the grade reporting office,
may keep a file on students and their grades.
•A second user, the accounting office, may keep
track of students' fees and their payments
 Cont…
•Although both users are interested in data about
students, each user maintains separate files-and
programs to manipulate these files.
 Because each requires some data not available
from the other user's files.
•This redundancy in defining and storing data
results in wasted storage space and in redundant
efforts to maintain common data up to date.
 B. Database approach
In the database approach, a single repository of data is maintained that is
defined once and then is accessed by various users. The main characteristics
of the database approach are the following
1. Self-describing nature of a database system
 database system contains not only the database itself but also a
complete definition or description of the database structure and
constraints which is stored in DBMS catalog
 The catalog contains information such as the structure , the type and
various constraints on the data.
 The information stored in the catalog is called meta-data, and it
describes the structure of the primary database
 These definitions are specified by the database designer prior to
creating the actual database and are stored in the catalog.
 Whenever a request is made to access/store, the DBMS software refers
to the catalog to determine the structure of the file and the position
and size of the data item within a record
2. Insulation between Programs and Data, and Data Abstraction
•In traditional file processing, the structure of
data files is embedded in the application
programs, so any changes to the structure of a
file may require changing all programs that
access this file
•By contrast, DBMS access programs do not
require such changes in most cases
•The structure of data files is stored in the DBMS
catalog separately from the access programs.
•We call this property program-data
independence
 3. Support of Multiple Views of the Data
A view may be a subset of the database or it may
contain virtual data that is derived from the database
files but is not explicitly stored
A database typically has many users, each of whom
may require a different perspective or view of the
database

For instance:
 user 1: interested in printing transcript and
 user2: may need to know the prerequisite courses
4. Sharing of Data and Multiuser Transaction Processing

A multiuser DBMS must allow multiple users to

access the database at the same time
The DBMS must include concurrency control
software to ensure that several users trying to
update the same data do so in a controlled manner
so that the result of the updates is correct
For example, when several reservation clerks try to
assign a seat on an airline flight, the DBMS should
ensure that each seat can be accessed by only one
clerk at a time for assignment to a passenger
 Actors on the scene
For a small personal database, one person typically defines,
constructs, and manipulates the database, and there is no
sharing.
However, many persons are involved in the design, use, and
maintenance of a large database with hundreds of users
people whose jobs involve the day-to-day use of a large
database; we call them the "actors on the scene”. These are :
1. Data base administrator(DBA)
In a database environment, the primary resource is the
database. Hence administrator is required
The DBA is responsible for
 authorizing access to the database(who will access what?)
 coordinating and monitoring its use
 and for acquiring software and hardware resources as needed
 Securing the data base(eg using account and password)
 2. Database designers
Database designers are responsible for identifying the data to be
stored in the database and for choosing appropriate structures to
represent and store this data
It is the responsibility of database designers to communicate with
all prospective database users in order to understand their
requirements, and to come up with a design that meets these
requirements
3. End users
•End users are the people whose jobs require access to the
database for querying, updating, and generating reports

NB: Reading assignment

Read different categories of users
.
5. System Analysts and Application Programmers
System analysts determine the requirements of
end users, and develop specifications that meet
these requirements.
Application programmers implement these
specifications as programs; then they test, debug,
document, and maintain these transactions.