Chapter

5
Data Resource Management
 Learning Objectives
• Explain the business value of implementing
data resource management processes and
technologies in an organization
• Outline the advantages of a database
management approach to managing the data
resources of a business, compared to a file
processing approach
• Explain how database management software
helps business professionals and supports the
operations and management of a business
 Learning Objectives
• Provide examples to illustrate the following
concepts
– Major types of databases
– Data warehouses and data mining
– Logical data elements
– Fundamental database structures
– Database development
 Logical Data Elements
• Character
– A single alphabetic, numeric, or other symbol
• Field or data item
– Represents an attribute (characteristic or quality)
of some entity (object, person, place, event)
• Examples: salary, job title

• Record
– Grouping of all the fields used to describe the
attributes of an entity
• Example: payroll record with name, SSN, pay rate
 Logical Data Elements
• File or table
– A group of related records
• Database
– An integrated collection of logically related
data elements (Files / tables)
 Database Structures
• Common database structures…
– Hierarchical
– Network
– Relational
– Object-oriented
– Multi-dimensional
 Hierarchical Structure

– Early DBMS structure

– Records arranged in tree-like structure
– Relationships are one-to-many
 Network Structure

– Used in some mainframe DBMS packages

– Many-to-many relationships
 Relational Structure

• Most widely used structure

– Data elements are stored in tables
– Row represents a record; column is a field
– Can relate data in one file with data in another,
if both files share a common data element
 Relational Operations
• Select
– Create a subset of records that meet a stated
criterion
• Example: employees earning more than $30,000

• Join
– Combine two or more tables temporarily
– Looks like one big table
• Project
– Create a subset of columns in a table
 Multidimensional Structure
• Variation of relational model
– Uses multidimensional structures to
organize data
– Data elements are viewed as being in cubes
– Popular for analytical databases that support
Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
Multidimensional Model
 Object-Oriented Structure
• An object consists of
– Data values describing the attributes of an entity
– Operations that can be performed on the data
• Encapsulation
– Combine data and operations
• Inheritance
– New objects can be created by replicating some or all
of the characteristics of parent objects
 Object-Oriented Structure

Source: Adapted from Ivar Jacobsen, Maria Ericsson, and Ageneta Jacobsen, The Object Advantage: Business Process
Reengineering with Object Technology (New York: ACM Press, 1995), p. 65.
Copyright @ 1995, Association for Computing Machinery. By permission.
 Object-Oriented Structure
• Used in object-oriented database
management systems (OODBMS)
• Supports complex data types more
efficiently than relational databases
– Examples: graphic images, video clips,
web pages
 Evaluation of Database
Structures
• Hierarchical
– Works for structured, routine transactions
– Can’t handle many-to-many relationship
• Network
– More flexible than hierarchical
– Unable to handle ad hoc requests
• Relational
– Easily responds to ad hoc requests
– Easier to work with and maintain
– Not as efficient/quick as hierarchical or network
 Database Development
• Database Administrator (DBA)
– In-charge of enterprise database development
– Improves the integrity and security of organizational
databases
– Uses Data Definition Language (DDL) to develop and
specify data contents, relationships, and structure
– Stores these specifications in a data dictionary
or a metadata repository
 Data Dictionary
• A data dictionary
– Contains data about data (metadata)
– Relies on specialized software component to manage a
database of data definitions
• It contains information on..
– The names and descriptions of all types of data records
and their interrelationships
– Requirements for end users’ access and use of application
programs
– Database maintenance
– Security
Database Development
 Data Planning Process
• Database development is a top-down process
– Develop an enterprise model that defines the basic
business process of the enterprise
– Define the information needs of end users in
a business process
– Identify the key data elements that are needed
to perform specific business activities
(e.g. entity relationship diagrams)
 Database Design Process
• Data relationships are represented in a
data model that supports a business
process
• This model is the schema or subschema
on which it has to base…
– The physical design of the database
– The development of application programs to
support business processes
 Database Design Process
• Logical Design
– Schema - overall logical view of relationships
– Subschema - logical view for specific end users
– Data models for DBMS

• Physical Design
– How data are to be physically stored and
accessed on storage devices
Logical and Physical Database
Views
 Data Resource Management
• Data resource management is a
managerial activity
– Uses data management, data warehousing,
and other IS technologies
– Manages data resources to meet the
information needs of business stakeholders
Types of Databases
 Operational Databases
• Stores detailed data needed to support
business processes and operations
– Also called subject area databases (SADB),
transaction databases, and production
databases
– Database examples: customer, human
resource, inventory
 Distributed Databases
• Distributed databases are copies or parts of
databases stored on servers at multiple locations
– Improves database performance at worksites
• Advantages
– Protection of valuable data
– Data can be distributed into smaller databases
– Each location has control of its local data
– All locations can access any data, any where
• Disadvantages
– Maintaining data accuracy
 Distributed Databases
• Replication
– Look at each distributed database and find changes
– Apply changes to each distributed database
– Very complex
• Duplication
– One database is master
– Duplicate the master after hours, in all locations
– Easier to accomplish
 External Databases
• Databases available for a fee from
commercial online services, or free from
the Web
– Examples: hypermedia databases, statistical
databases, bibliographic and full text
databases
– Search engines like Google or Yahoo are
external databases
 Hypermedia Databases
• A hypermedia database contains
– Hyperlinked pages of multimedia
– Interrelated hypermedia page elements,
rather than interrelated data records
 Data Warehouses
• Stores static data that has been extracted from
other databases in an organization
– Central source of data that has been cleaned,
transformed, and cataloged
– Data is used for data mining, analytical processing,
analysis, research, decision support

• Data warehouses may be divided into data marts

– Subsets of data that focus on specific aspects
of a company (department or business process)
 Data Mining
• Data in data warehouses are analyzed to reveal
hidden patterns and trends
– Market-basket analysis to identify new
product bundles
– Find root cause of qualify or manufacturing problems
– Prevent customer attrition (wear and tear e.g. age, address etc.)
– Acquire new customers
– Cross-sell to existing customers
– Profile customers with more accuracy
 Traditional File Processing
• Data are organized, stored, and processed in
independent files
– Each business application designed to use specialized
data files containing specific
types of data records
• Problems
– Data redundancy
– Lack of data integration
– Data dependence (files, storage devices, software)
– Lack of data integrity or standardization
 Database Management
Approach
• The foundation of modern methods of
managing organizational data
– Consolidates data records formerly in separate
files into databases
– Data can be accessed by many different
application programs
– A database management system (DBMS) is the
software interface between users and
databases
Database Management System
• In mainframe and server computer systems,
a software package that is used to…
– Create new databases and database
applications
– Maintain the quality of the data in an
organization’s databases
– Use the databases of an organization to
provide the information needed by end users
 Common DBMS Software
Components
• Database definition
– Language and graphical tools to define entities,
relationships, integrity constraints, and authorization
rights
• Nonprocedural access
– Language and graphical tools to access data without
complicated coding
• Application development
– Graphical tools to develop menus, data entry forms,
and reports
 Common DBMS Software
Components
• Database tuning
– Tools to monitor, improve database performance
Database Management System
• Database Development
– Defining and organizing the content, relationships,
and structure of the data needed to build a database
• Database Application Development
– Using DBMS to create prototypes of queries, forms,
reports, Web pages
• Database Maintenance
– Using transaction processing systems and other tools
to add, delete, update, and correct data
 Database Maintenance
• Accomplished by transaction processing
systems and other applications, with the
support of the DBMS
– Done to reflect new business transactions and
other events
– Updating and correcting data, such as
customer addresses