...Chapter 2 - Database System Concepts and Architecture Data Models, Schemas and Instances A characteristic of the database approach is that it provides a level of data abstraction, by hiding details of data storage that are not needed by most users. A data model is a collection of concepts that can be used to describe the structure of a database. The model provides the necessary means to achieve the abstraction. The structure of a database is characterized by data types, relationships, and constraints that hold for the data. Models also include a set of operations for specifying retrievals and updates. Data models are changing to include concepts to specify the behaviour of the database application. This allows designers to specify a set of user defined operations that are allowed. Categories of Data Models Data models can be categorized in multiple ways. • High level/conceptual data models – provide concepts close to the way users perceive the data. • Physical data models – provide concepts that describe the details of how data is stored in the computer. These concepts are generally meant for the specialist, and not the end user. • Representational data models – provide concepts that may be understood by the end user but not far removed from the way data is organized. Conceptual data models use concepts such as entities, attributes and relationships. • Entity – represents a real world object or concept • Attribute - represents...
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...The Database Environment A database is used to gather and store information that is then organized in such a way that a computer program is able to quickly selected desired pieces of data from the data that is stored. Once a query is created and submitted to the query database management system data and information can then be extracted from the database. Objectives The Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art is in desperate need of a newly updated database that will help them with maintaining proper records of all the art pieces within the museum. This new database will be used to track all the art pieces, new as well as existing along with their current locations. Along with this information, the database will also store the information on each artist, which includes: telephone number, address, art pieces included, as well as the client information of those that are interested or have purchased art pieces. The database will also store the quantity of art pieces that are in the museum along with the art pieces that have been sold and the price of each piece. This database will need to be maintained on a daily basis, for any changes that might occur. It is important that the museum staff is able to give real time data to anyone that asks. For example, if an art piece is for sale. The staff needs to know if that art piece is available or not, and if it is then they will be able to proceed with the purchase. It is mandatory that this data is easy to find and has to be updated...
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...Database Environment Smith Consulting is a firm that focuses building applications for their clients. One of the biggest core values within this company is to maintain the security of the data that they for which this company builds applications. ("Smith Consulting Intranet", 2015) The main focus of this company is the creation of efficient financial applications as well as other functional applications as requested. The company has about 350 employees that currently working for them across all sites ("Smith Consulting Intranet", 2015). From the company intranet there does not seem to be a current database in place for that tracks their consulting staff, clients, each staff member's skill sets, and what projects they are working on. In order to create a database we would have to first select the best database environment for the project. Within this situation the database would not house confidential information so the need for strong security would not be necessary. For this particular database the amount of data that is being imported into the database is rather small. The company has 4 main clients and 350 employees. The system that I would select for this project would be Access. Access can handle all of the data that is needed to create this Project Database. SQL and Oracle are create database structures when dealing with huge amounts of data, this would not be the case in this situation and it would not be feasible to spend the extra money on these...
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...Database Environment DBM/380 The Historic Art Museum of Buffalo, NY needs to keep track of an abundance of information. Such as the artwork, artists, and locations of where the art is displayed or stored within the museum. Unfortunately, the museum is currently using only a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the artists, artwork, and their locations. This is not good practice and generally causes hardships for end-users. Therefore, a database will be implemented in order to make the information more readily available and accurate. Objectives of the Database First and foremost, is the objective of the database system - which is to store the following information: which art is owned/possessed, which artists, and the location of the art within the museum. By having this information readily available in a managed database, it can help the museum prepare for showings, buy/sell/trade/acquire artwork, and maintain an accurate inventory. The Database’ Environment The database’ environment shall consist of metadata & data, software, hardware, people to operate the equipment, and the appropriate procedures for the individuals to follow. Within the museum, the following devices (iMac 21.5 inch model) will be used as workstations by employees and networked together in order to access the server of which the database will be stored. The iMac devices are expensive, but have the capability of running Boot Camp for employees that desire to use Windows. And...
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...MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Library Database Environment DATE: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Analysis of the Database environment This environment in which this database is based on is a library.it seeks to look into a library setting and all attributes associated with a library. Basically a library contains documentation for reference, research and learning purposes with a variety of fields to look into. Some may also have archived materials that are still being used. Current libraries have a section where you can access materials like newspapers to catch up with news updates. This database will use a MYSQL environment to manage the data related to the library and Delphi in designing the interface Problems and constraints The existing library has a category of sections from which reference materials for research and learning can be obtained. Unfortunately no systematic sorting has been done to categorize books in each section. This makes it some worth difficult and time consuming to find a specific book of interest within the sections Objectives of the database environment The objectives of the database environment are enlisted below * Provide an all-in-one system for accessing reference materials * Develop a system that will store user details and item details * Create an easy to understand and friendly environment * Develop a system that can replace the manual library management system * Provide borrow and return records * Provide user access levels(i.e...
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...Database Environment Stephen K.D. Sylvester DBM/380 15 October 2014 Gary Teed Today I will be taking to you about the database environment, the term database environment refers to a type of configuration used to create and populate an application. The most commonly used definitions for databases, are items, which include data, which are text, images, graphics and facts associated to something. A database is a collection of well-organized data, the environment that is to be designed is one that stores and retrieves data that easily maintained and organized. For the purpose of this assignment of the database environment, I have chosen will be a series of tables that store customer information, purchase orders, sales orders and various status point information. The data will be used for a series of reports that will show the status of the purchase orders as it goes through the database system. The goal of this system is to provide an accountable and accurate status of the items purchased that have been logged in the system. Over the last decade our company has had a hard time and struggled with lost records and documentation of purchase orders, with limited visibility on the status of those orders. W have submitted a request to create a well working database for our customer service to access, and be able to quickly and accurately find the status of that purchase order. Also we would like to implement a list of potential orders that may have dropped off, and gone...
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...Smith Consulting Database Environment Student Name DBM/380 Date: Instructor name: Smith Consulting Database Environment Smith Consulting’s current employee management system is inefficient involving a one table database, which produces duplication of many attributes throughout the system. The first iteration of database design provided a new version consisting of various one-to-many relationships to link its various modules. There are currently four modules that consist of an employees, jobs, skills, and projects tables. Smith Consulting has many employees filling many jobs descriptions. Furthermore, each job position may encompass many skills. Finally, many employees may be working on many projects. This first iteration of database design provided a database model that is inadequate and requires a return to the database development life cycle (DDLC) to incorporate the needed many-to-many relationships among tables for efficient allocation of human resources in order to better meet company customer needs. An analysis of the database environment has surfaced the various problems and constraints with the current system. This in turn has determined the scope and boundaries for the new system version. An overall objective and supporting objectives provided the needed data specifications, which is depicted in a logical model table and database schema. Database Environment Analysis The current database environment involves a one table database. This current system has various...
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...Database Environment Smith Consulting wants to be able to track their consulting staff, each staff members skill set, and what projects they are working on. In order for Smith Consulting to keep track of all theses sets of data, they are in need of a database. Smith Consulting is an organization which offers Information Technology services to its clients. The services which Smith Consulting offer are database services, application programming, and website services. Smith Consulting was founded in 1984 with the goal of providing information technology services to its clients which are located in the Western United States. Smith Consulting Database Environment The main reason to analyze Smith Consulting’s database environment is to see where the company stands and in what situation the company is in which will be based on the results of the initial study of their database. Analyzing a company’s database is to see if the current system will be in fact able to support the additional information they want to collect on their employees. Looking at Smith Consulting’s database, we can see their current database will be unable to support the additional information and data they would like to update in order to keep track of the staff as well as the other requirements of the project. These would include tracking each staff member and their skill set, and to also track which projects each staff member is working on. To successfully analyze the database environment, their needs to be communication...
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...real-world environment. The database designer uses data models to facilitate the interaction amongdesigners, application programmers, and end users. In short, a good data model is a communicationsdevice that helps eliminate (or at least substantially reduce) discrepancies between the databasedesign’s components and the real world data environment. The development of data models, bolstered by powerful database design tools, has made it possible to substantially diminish thedatabase design error potential. (Review Section 2.1 in detail.) 2. What is a business rule, and what is its purpose in data modelling? A business rule is a brief, precise, and unambiguous description of a policy, procedure, or principle within a specific organization’s environment. In a sense, business rules are misnamed: they apply to any organization -- a business, a government unit, a religious group, or a research laboratory; large or small -- that stores and uses data to generate information. Business rules are derived from a description of operations. As its name implies, a description of operations is a detailed narrative that describes the operational environment of an organization. Such a description requires great precision and detail. If the description of operations is incorrect or incomplete, the business rules derived from it will not reflect the real world data environment accurately, thus leading to poorly defined data models, which lead to poor database designs. In turn, poor database designs...
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...of managing data resources in a traditional file environment and how are they solved by a database management system? List and describe each of the components in the data hierarchy. Figure 6–1 shows the data hierarchy. The data hierarchy includes bits, bytes, fields, records, files, and databases. Data are organized in a hierarchy that starts with the bit, which is represented by either a 0 (off) or a 1 (on). Bits can be grouped to form a byte to represent one character, number, or symbol. Bytes can be grouped to form a field, such as a name or date, and related fields can be grouped to form a record. Related records can be collected to form files, and related files can be organized into a database. Define and explain the significance of entities, attributes, and key fields. • Entity is a person, place, thing, or event on which information can be obtained. • Attribute is a piece of information describing a particular entity. • Key field is a field in a record that uniquely identifies instances of that unique record so that it can be retrieved, updated, or sorted. For example, a person’s name cannot be a key because there can be another person with the same name, whereas a social security number is unique. Also a product name may not be unique but a product number can be designed to be unique. List and describe the problems of the traditional file environment. Problems with the traditional file environment include data redundancy and confusion, program-data...
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...whom this project would have been a distant reality. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our family and well wishers. I would like to take this occasion to specially thank University of Northern Virginia to provide us with excellent faculty and also in supporting us getting quality education remotely. Contents SL No Title Page no 1 Abstract 5 2 Introduction to Databases 6 3 OLTP and OLAP Systems 7 4 Difference between OLTP and OLAP 9 5 Data Modeling 13 6 Workflows in Enterprise level Data warehousing 18 7 Business Intelligence tools used in Data flow and Data Warehousing 21 8 Analysis in Data warehousing 24 9 Conclusion 28 10 Foot Note 30 11 References 31 ABSTRACT These days majority of the applications, may it be web applications or windows applications or mobile applications, are completely database dependent. Most of the application developments are becoming database driven environments, hence rendering databases as one of the most key elements in a software environment. This dependency on databases can attributed to the increasing number of data requirements from the...
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...INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Learning Objectives • Describe how the problems of managing data resources in a traditional file environment are solved by a database management system • Describe the capabilities and value of a database management system • Apply important database design principles • Evaluate tools and technologies for accessing information from databases to improve business performance and decision making • Assess the role of information policy, data administration, and data quality assurance in the management of a firm’s data resources 2 © Pearson Education 2012 Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment • File organization concepts – – – – Database: Group of related files File: Group of records of same type Record: Group of related fields Field: Group of characters as word(s) or number • Describes an entity (person, place, thing on which we store information) • Attribute: Each characteristic, or quality, describing entity – E.g., Attributes Date or Grade belong to entity COURSE 3 © Pearson Education 2012 Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment THE DATA...
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...Week Two Student Guide This week, you will explore how databases are used in the work environment. Databases play a significant role in an organization, so it is important to know how to capitalize on database functionality. You will also learn how businesses, consumers, and the government use collaboration tools in the work environment, and how these tools have transformed the business processes of today’s organizations. Additionally, you will explore electronic commerce, and discuss the challenges this technology presents to businesses and their consumers. Databases, Network Applications, and E-Business OBJECTIVE: Describe how databases are used in the work environment. Resources: Ch. 4 and Technology Guide 2 of Introduction to Information Systems and Ch. 1 for Access in Microsoft® Office 2010 Content • Ch. 4: Data and Knowledge Management of Introduction to Information Systems o Managing Data • The Difficulties of Managing Data • The Data Life Cycle o The Database Approach • The Data Hierarchy • Designing the Database o Database Management Systems • The Relational Database Model • Databases in Action o Data Warehousing • Describing the Data Warehouse • Data Marts o Data Governance o Knowledge Management • Concepts and Definitions • Knowledge Management Systems • The Knowledge Management System Cycle • Technology...
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...relationship modeling is extremely valuable in a complex data environment. In relational database management system, entity relationship modeling becomes essential when dealing with a large number of entities and/or complex relationships. In addition, some entities that have many different relationships, or even multiple relationships with a single entity, can be difficult to conceptualize without the assistance of a well-thought-out model. As pointed out by Allen (2005), entity relationship modeling provides a highly intuitive reference for developers of a database system. ACME Global Consulting is an organization that services a vast number of clients across many domains. They deal with thousands of orders and products on a daily basis. From their customer service department to their order fulfillment department, the need for an efficient, accurate information system is self-evident. However, when dealing with so much information in such a complex system, the importance of proper planning and design cannot be overstated. There is no area of the system development lifecycle more critical than planning and design. The purpose of the entity relationship model to be developed for ACME Global Consulting is to visualize the entities and relationships that will exist within the relational database. As is discussed by Chilton (2006), it can be difficult to wrap one’s mind around the concept of relational databases at first. It really is not that difficult. It is exactly what...
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...about Database Testing Presented by: Mary R.Sweeney Exceed Technical Training & Consultation Copyright Sammamish Software Services 2003. All rights reserved. 1 Today’s complex software systems access heterogeneous data from a variety of backend databases. The intricate mix of client-server and Web-enabled database applications are extremely difficult to test productively. Testing at the data access layer is the point at which your application communicates with the database. Tests at this level are vital to improve not only your overall test strategy, but also your product’s quality. In this presentation you’ll find out what you need to know to test the SQL database engine, stored procedures, and data views. Find out how to design effective automated tests that exercise the complete database layer of your applications. You’ll learn about the most common and vexing defects related to SQL databases and the best tools available to support your testing efforts. Copyright Sammamish Software Services 2003. All rights Reserved 1 8/26/2004 The Data Access Layer Testing at the data access layer is the point at which your application communicates with the database. ! In this presentation we’ll discuss why tests at this level are vital to improve not only your overall test strategy, but also your product’s quality ! Copyright Sammamish Software Services 2003. All rights reserved. 2 How to design effective automated tests that exercise the complete database layer...
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