DBMS Basics: Dr. Rajesh Chauhan
DBMS Basics: Dr. Rajesh Chauhan
Known as
Conceptual
Level
Levels of Data
Types of users
• Naïve users
– Interact with the system by invoking one of application
programmes
• Application users
– They are the computer professions who write applications using
database. They have the limited access to the database.
• Sophisticated users
– They interact with the system directly using SQL. They are the
database administrator and play active role in every kind of
database task
• Specialized users
– These are users who write specialised applications for different
databases
Role of Database Administrator
• Schema Definition
• To change Physical Organization of data
• Granting authorization
• Routine maintenance
– Backup
– Upgrading disk space
– Job monitoring (expensive tasks should not
hamper the overall performance)
Instances and Schemas
• Schema – the logical structure of the database
– e.g., the database consists of information about a set
of customers and accounts and the relationship
between them)
– Physical schema: database design at the physical
level
– Logical schema: database design at the logical level
• Instance – the actual content of the database at a
particular point in time
Data Independence
Data Independence is defined as a property of
DBMS that helps you to change the Database
schema at one level of a database system
without requiring to change the schema at
the next higher level.
Importance of Data Independence
•Helps in improving the quality of the data
•Database maintenance becomes affordable
•Enforcement of standards.
•Improved database security
•Avoid repetitive alteration of data structure in application
programs
•Permit developers to focus on the general structure of the
Database rather than worrying about the internal
implementation
•Database incongruity or incompatibility is vastly reduced.
•modifications at the physical level become easier.
Physical Independence
• Physical Data Independence – the ability to modify
the physical schema without changing the logical
schema
– With Physical independence, one can easily change
the physical storage structures or devices without an
effect on the conceptual schema.
– Any change done would be absorbed by the mapping
between the conceptual and internal levels.
– Applications depend on the logical schema do not change
– In general, the interfaces (mapping) between the various
levels and components should be well defined so that
changes in some parts do not seriously influence others.
Physical Data Independence
Example
• Using a new storage device like Hard Drive or Magnetic
Tapes
• Modifying the file organization technique in the Database
• Switching to different data structures.
• Changing the access method.
• Modifying indexes.
• Changes to compression techniques or hashing algorithms.
• Change of Location of Database from say C drive to D Drive
Logical Data Independence
• Logical data Independence
• the ability to modify the Logical schema without
changing the external views / External API or
programs /related application programs
• change made will be absorbed by the mapping between
external and conceptual levels
• examples are
• Add/Modify/Delete a new attribute, entity or relationship is
possible without a rewrite of existing application programs
• Merging two records into one
• Breaking an existing record into two or more records
How to Achieve Data
Independence
Physical Data Independence is achieved by
modifying the physical layer to logical layer
mapping (PL-LL mapping)
Thanks