Chapter 7: Databases and Data

Warehouses

Management Information Systems, Fifth

Edition
 Objectives

• Explain the difference between traditional file

organization and the database approach to
managing digital data
• Explain how relational and object oriented
database management systems are used to
construct databases, populate them with data, and
manipulate the data to produce information
• Enumerate the most important features and
operations of a relational database, the most
popular database model

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 Objectives (continued)

• Understand how data modeling and design

creates a conceptual blueprint of a database
• Discuss how databases are used on the Web
• List the operations involved in transferring data
from transactional databases to data
warehouses

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 Managing Digital Data

• Businesses collect and dissect data

• Data can be stored in powerful database format
– Easy access and manipulation
• Databases have profound impact on business
• Database technology integrated with Internet

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 The Traditional File Approach

• Traditional file approach: no mechanism for

manipulating data
• Database approach: has mechanism for
manipulating data
• Traditional approach inconvenient
– High data redundancy
– Low data integrity
• Data redundancy: duplication of data
• Data integrity: accuracy of data

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 The Traditional File Approach
(continued)

Figure 7.1: The layout of a human resource file in traditional file organization

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 The Database Approach
• Database approach: data organized as entities
• Entity: object that has data
– People
– Events
– Products
• Character: smallest piece of data
• Field: single piece of information about entity
• Record: collection of fields

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 The Database Approach (continued)

• File: collection of related records

• Database management system (DBMS):
program used to build databases
– Populates with data
– Manipulates data
– Query: message requesting access to data

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 The Database Approach (continued)

• Database has security issues

• Database administrator (DBA): limits user
access to database
– Requires users to enter codes
• DBMS bundled with fourth-generation languages

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 The Database Approach (continued)

Figure 7.2: Data hierarchy

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 The Database Approach (continued)

Databases include more than just text and numbers: for instance, a database used by real
Estate agents may show property pictures in addition to addresses, prices, and sale status
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 The Database Approach (continued)

Figure 7.3: Different database views reveal different combinations of data

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 The Database Approach (continued)

Figure 7.4: Different views from the same database

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 Database Models

• Database model: general logical structure

– How records stored in database
– Records linked differently in different models
– Models constantly changing

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 The Relational Model
• Relational Model: consists of tables
• Based on relational algebra
– Tuple: record
– Attribute: field
– Relation: table
– Key: identifier field
• Used to retrieve records

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 Relational Model (continued)

Figure 7.5: A relational database

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 The Relational Model (continued)

• Primary key: unique key

– Uniquely identifies record
– Required in table
• Composite key: combination of fields
– Serves as primary key
• Foreign key: shared field
– Links tables
• Join table: composite of tables

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 The Relational Model (continued)

Figure 7.6: A join table

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 The Relational Model (continued)

• Table relationships with other tables

• One-to-many relationship: one item in table
linked to many items in other table
• Many-to-many relationship: many items in
table linked to many items of other table

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 The Object-Oriented Model

• Object-Oriented model: uses object-oriented

approach
• Encapsulation: combined storage of data and
relevant procedures
– Allows object to be planted in different data sets
• Inheritance: creates new object by replicating
characteristics of existing (parent) object

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The Object-Oriented Model (continued)

Figure 7.7: An object-oriented database

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 Relational Operations

• Relational operation: create temporary subset

of table
• Create limited list or joined table list
– Select records based on conditions
– Project columns
– Join tables to create temporary table

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 Structured Query Language

• Structured query language: language of

choice for DBMSs
• Advantages
– Standardized language
– Used in many host languages
• Portable

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 The Schema and Metadata
• Schema: plan
– Describes structure of database
– Names and sizes of fields
– Identifies primary keys
• Data dictionary: repository of information about
data

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The Schema and Metadata (continued)

• Metadata: data about data

– Source of data
– Tables related to data
– Field information
– Usage of data
– Population rules

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The Schema and Metadata (continued)

Figure 7.8: Schema of the Employee table in an Access database

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 Data Modeling

• Databases must be carefully planned

• Data modeling: analysis and organization of
data
– Proactive process
– Develop conceptual blueprint
• Entity relationship diagram: graphical
representation of relationships

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 Data Modeling (continued)

• Entity relationship diagram

– Boxes identify entities
– Lines indicate relationship
– Crossbars indicate mandatory fields
– Circles indicate optional
– Crows feet identify “many”

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 Data Modeling (continued)

Figure 7.9: An entity relationship diagram (ERD)

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 Data Modeling (continued)

Figure 7.10: Fields of the Professor entity

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 Databases on the Web

• Web dependent on databases

• Interface between Web and database required
– CGI
– ASP
– API

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 Databases on the Web (continued)

Figure 7.11: Active server pages and similar software enable data queries and
entry via the Web

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 Data Warehousing

• Data collections used for transactions

• Accumulation of transaction data useful
• Data warehouse: large database
– Typically relational
– Supports decision making
– Data copied from transactional database
• Data mart: collection of data focusing on
particular subject

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 From Database to Data Warehouse
• Transactional database not suitable for business
analysis
– Only current data
– Not historic
• Data warehouse requires large storage capacity
– Mainframe computers used
– Scalability issue

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Phases in Building a Data Warehouse

• Begin building data warehouse after equipment

secured
– Extraction phase
• Create files from transactional database
– Transformation phase
• Cleanse and modify data
• Loading phase
• Transfer files to data warehouse

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Phases in Building a Data Warehouse
(continued)

Figure 7.12: Phases in preparing and using a data warehouse

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 Summary
• Organizations collect vast amounts of data
• Database approach has advantages over
traditional approach
• Character: smallest piece of data
• File: collection of records
• Designer must construct schema to construct
database

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 Summary (continued)
• Database management system enables database
construction and manipulation
• Relational and object-oriented database models have
different advantages
• Keys used to form links among entities
• Object-oriented database maintains links differently
• SQL adopted as international standard

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 Summary (continued)

• Designers conduct data modeling to show

required tables
• Databases often linked to Web
• Data warehouses contain huge collections of
historical data
• Data warehouse allows data extraction,
transformation, and loading
• Invasion of privacy is exacerbated by database
technology

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