Introduction to

Database Management
Systems
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 Data and Database
A database is a collection of related data.
Data - known facts that can be recorded and that have implicit meaning.

A database has the following implicit properties:

■ A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called the miniworld.
Changes to the miniworld are reflected in the database.
■ A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent meaning. 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.

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 Database Management system
✘ A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of programs
that enables users to create and maintain a database.
✘ The DBMS is a general-purpose software system that facilitates the
processes of defining, constructing, manipulating, and sharing
databases among various users and applications.
✘ The main purpose of the database is to operate a large amount of
information by storing, retrieving, and managing data.

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✘ Defining a database involves specifying the data types,
structures, and constraints of the data to be stored in the
database.
✘ Constructing the database is the process of storing the
data on some storage medium that is controlled by the
DBMS.
✘ Manipulating a database includes functions such as
querying the database to retrieve specific data, updating
the database to reflect changes in the miniworld.
✘ Sharing a database allows multiple users and programs to
access the database simultaneously.

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File system vs DBMS

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 File Processing Systems
✘ In the past, many organizations exclusively used file processing systems to
store and manage data.
✘ In a typical file processing system, each department or area within an
organization has its own set of files. The records in one file may not relate to
the records in any other file.
✘ Organizations have used file processing systems for many years.
✘ Many of these systems, however, have two major weaknesses:
✗ redundant data
✗ isolate data.

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 The Database Approach
✘ When an organization uses the database approach, many programs
and users share the data in the database.
✘ The database does secure its data, however, so that only authorized
users can access certain data items.
✘ While a user is working with the database, the DBMS resides in the
memory of the computer.

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Why Database?
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Database Users
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Actors on the scene – actively Actors behind the scene – maintain
involves day to day database the database environment system​
activities​ ✘ DBMS system designers and
✘ Database Administrators​ implementers​
✘ Database Designers​ ✘ Tool developers​
✘ End Users​ ✘ Operators and maintenance
✘ System Analysts and Application personnel​
Programmers (Software
Engineers)​

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 DATABASE ADMINISTRATORS
✘ Administering the resources is the responsibility of the database
administrator (DBA)
✘ The DBA is responsible for authorizing access to the database,
coordinating and monitoring its use, and acquiring software and
hardware resources as needed.
✘ The DBA is accountable for problems such as security breaches and
poor system response time. In large organizations, the DBA is assisted by
a staff that carries out these functions.

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 DATABASE DESIGNERS
✘ Responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the database and for
choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data.
✘ Database designers typically interact with each potential group of users
and develop views of the database that meet the data and processing
requirements of these groups.
✘ Each view is then analysed and integrated with the views of other user
groups. The final database design must be capable of supporting the
requirements of all user groups.

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 END USERS
✘ End users are the people whose jobs require access to the database for
querying, updating, and generating reports.
✘ Casual end users
✘ Naive or parametric end users
✘ Sophisticated end users
✘ Standalone users

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 SYSTEM ANALYSTS AND APPLICATION PROGRAMMERS
✘ System analysts determine the requirements of end users, especially
naive and parametric end users, and develop specifications for standard
canned transactions that meet these requirements.
✘ Application programmers implement these specifications as programs;
then they test, debug, document, and maintain these canned
transactions.
✘ Such analysts and programmers—commonly referred to as software
developers or software engineers—should be familiar with the full range
of capabilities provided by the DBMS to accomplish their tasks.

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