Categories of End Users in DBMS

Pre-Requisite: Different Types of End Users

End users are basically those people whose jobs require access to the database for querying, updating, and generating reports. The database primarily exists for their use. There are several categories of end-users these are as follows.

• Casual End users
• Naive or Parametric End Users
• Application Programmers
• Sophisticated End Users
• Standalone Users
• Specialised Users

Casual End Users 

These are the users who occasionally access the database but they require different information each time. They use a sophisticated database query language basically to specify their request and are typically middle or level managers or other occasional browsers. These users learn very few facilities that they may use repeatedly from the multiple facilities provided by DBMS to access it. 

Naive or Parametric End Users

These are the users who basically make up a sizeable portion of database end-users. The main job function revolves basically around constantly querying and updating the database for this we basically use a standard type of query known as the canned transaction that has been programmed and tested. These users need to learn very little about the facilities provided by the DBMS they basically have to understand the users' interfaces of the standard transaction designed and implemented for their use. The following tasks are basically performed by Naive end-users: 

1. The person who is working in the bank will basically tell us the account balance and post-withdrawal and deposits. 
2. Reservation clerks for airlines, railways, hotels, and car rental companies basically check availability for a given request and make the reservation. 
3. Clerks who are working at receiving end for shipping companies enter the package identified via barcodes and descriptive information through buttons to update a central database of received and in-transit packages. 

Application Programmers

The application programmers write different application programs and are responsible for developing the user interface. The application programmers are free to develop the user interfaces in any preferred language such as C/C++/Java etc.

Sophisticated End Users 

These users basically include engineers, scientists, business analytics, and others who thoroughly familiarize themselves with the facilities of the DBMS in order to implement their application to meet their complex requirements. These users try to learn most of the DBMS facilities in order to achieve their complex requirements. 

Standalone Users 

These are those users whose job is basically to maintain personal databases by using a ready-made program package that provides easy-to-use menu-based or graphics-based interfaces, An example is the user of a tax package that basically stores a variety of personal financial data for tax purposes. These users become very proficient in using a specific software package.

Specialised Users

The special users are responsible for writing specialized database-related programs and also have the task of creating the actual database as well as implementing technical controls needed to enforce policies and decisions.