Lecture1: Ch1.

Introduction:
Databases and Database Users: part1
IS.220

Dr. Alaa eldin Abdallah Yassin

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IS.220Assessment
 Prerequisite :-
 Weighing of assessment
➢ Exam1 : 30
➢ Exam1 : 30
➢ Section Attendance :5
➢ Practical exam :25
➢ Final term examination : 60
➢ Total : 150
 To path you must get at least 60% i.e. 90 grads and 30% from final written
exam i.e., 18 grads
3 Class materials

Books :
 Fundamentals of Database Systems 7th -ElMasri, Navathe

Lecturers:
 Uploaded before lecture on onedrive and smart learning
4 Class administration

 Lectures once a week

 Instructors:
1. Dr. Alaa eldin Abdallah Yassin
➢ Email: aboelmnzer@gmail.com
➢ Official mail: Alaaeldin.yassin@must.edu.eg
5 Class administration: Demonstrator

 Sections once a week

 Instructors:
1. Assist : Eng. Ayman AbdelAziz
2. Assist: Eng. Shereen youseef
3. Assist: Eng. Amany Mohamed
4. Assist: Eng. Habiba Khalid
6 Outline

 Introduction and Basic Definitions.

 Types of Databases and Database Applications.
 DBMS and its functions.
 Example of a Database (UNIVERSITY).
 Database system environment.
 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach.
 Advantages of Using the DBMS Approach.
 When Not to Use DBMS.

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7 Introduction & Basic Definitions
Data:
❖ “ Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning”.
▪ Like names, telephone numbers and addresses.

Database:
❖ Database is a “collection of related data ”.
❖ Database has the following implicit properties:
1. A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called the “mini
world”.
2. A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent meaning.
(related data not a random data)
3. A database is designed, built, and populated with data for specific purpose.
❖ Examples: Airline reservation system, Students’ registration system.
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8 Types of Databases and Database Applications
 Traditional Applications:
❖ Numeric and Textual Databases
 More Recent Applications:
❖ Multimedia Databases
➢ store images, audio, video...
❖ Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
➢ store and analyze maps, weather data, and satellite images
❖ Data Warehouses and online analytical processing (OLAP)
➢ Extract and analyze information from different and very large databases; to
support decision making.

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9
DBMS

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10 Basic Definitions…
Database Management System (DBMS):
❖DBMS: “Is a collection of programs that enables users to create and
maintain a database”.
❖DBMS : “ is a general-purpose software system that facilitates the processes
of defining, constructing, manipulating and sharing databases among
various users and applications”.
Defining Database:
 Defining a database involves :
❖Specifying the data types, structures, and constrains of the data to be stored in the
database.
❖The database definition or descriptive information is stored by DBMS in database
catalog or dictionary; it is called “meta-data”.
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11 DBMS functions…

 Constructing Database:
 Constructing a database is the process of storing the data on some storage medium (hard
drive, cloud-based,…) that is controlled by the DBMS.
 Manipulating Database:
 Manipulating a database include functions such as querying the database to retrieve
specific data, updating the database to reflect changes in the mini-world, and generating
reports from the data.
 Sharing Database:
 Sharing a database allows multiple users and programs to access the database
simultaneously ( train tickets, …).
 Protecting Database:
 Protection includes system protection against hardware and software malfunction or crashes, and
security protection against unauthorized access(privilege).
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12 Typical DBMS Functionality
 Define a particular database in terms of its data types, structures, and
constraints.
 Construct or Load the initial database contents on a secondary storage
medium.
 Manipulating the database:
❖Retrieval: Querying, generating reports
❖Modification: Insertions, deletions and updates to its content
❖Accessing: the database through Web applications
 Processing and Sharing by a set of concurrent users and application
programs – yet, keeping all data valid and consistent
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13 Typical DBMS Functionality…
Other features:
 Protection or Security measures to prevent unauthorized access.
 Presentation and Visualization of data.
 Maintaining the database and associated programs over the lifetime of the
database application.

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14

Summarize
the previous slides

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15 Summary
 Data Base Management System (DBMS) :
 Collection of programs.
 Enable users to create and maintain database.
 Defining a database :
 Specify the data type, structure and constraints of the data to be stored.
 Meta-data:
 Database definition or descriptive information.
 Stored by the DBMS in the form of database catalog or dictionary.
 Manipulating a database:
 Query and update the database.
 Generate reports.
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16 Summary…
 Sharing a database:
 Allow multiple users and programs to access the database simultaneously.
 Application program:
 Access database by sending queries to DBMS.
 Query:
 Causes some data to be retrieved.
 Transaction:
 May cause some data to be read and some data to be written into the DB.
 Maintain the database system:
 Allow the system to improve as requirements change over time.
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17

Real example “ university db. “

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18 A real example “University data base”
 University database :
❖ Information concerning students, courses, grades in the university environment.
 Data records ( I want to store data about what ?):
❖ STUDENTs
❖ COURSEs
❖ SECTIONs (of COURSEs)
❖ (academic) DEPARTMENTs
❖ INSTRUCTORs
❖ PREREQUSITE
❖ GRADES

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19 “University data base”…
 Specify structure of records of each file by specifying data type for each data
element.
❖ Integer
❖ String
❖ Etc.
 Construct “university” database:
❖ Store data to represent each student, course, section, and prerequisite as a record
in appropriate file.
❖ Relationship among the records.
❖ Manipulating involves querying and updating.
➢ Query example : list the names of students who register “database” course.
➢ Another query ex: list the prerequisite of the “database” course.
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 Example of a Database (with a Conceptual
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Data Model)…
Some mini-world (university database)relationships:
❖SECTIONs are of specific COURSEs
❖STUDENTs take SECTIONs
❖COURSEs have prerequisite COURSEs
❖INSTRUCTORs teach SECTIONs
❖COURSEs are offered by DEPARTMENTs
❖STUDENTs major in DEPARTMENTs
➢ Note: The above entities and relationships are typically
expressed in a conceptual data model, such as the
ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP data model (Chapters 3, 4)
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 University database…
21

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 Example of a simplified database catalog
22

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23 Simplified database system environment

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24 Managing Data
 There are two approaches to manage data
1. File-based approach:
❖An approach that utilizes a collection of application programs which
performs services to end-users (e.g., Reports).
❖Each program defines and manages its own data.
2. Database approach:
❖ An approach that data is collected and manipulated using specific
software called Database Management System, and many programs
share this data.

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25 Disadvantages of file processing approach
 Program data dependance:
 All programs maintain meta data for each file they use.
 Duplication of data:
 Different system/programs have separate copies of the same data(no sharing)
 Limited data sharing:
 No centralized control of data.
 Lengthy development times:
 Programmers must design their own file formats.
 Excessive program maintenance:
 80% of information system budget.
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26 Disadvantages of file processing approach

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27 Database approach is the solution
 Central storage of shared data.
 Data is managed by a controlling agent.
 Stored in standardized convenient form.

Order filing
system
DBMS Central database
Invoicing Contains employee,
system Order, inventory,
Pricing, and
customer data

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28 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
 Self-describing nature of a database system:
❖A DBMS catalog stores the description of a particular database (e.g.,
data structures, types, storage format, and constraints).
❖The description is called meta-data.
❖This allows the DBMS software to work with different database
applications; because DBMS use catalog.
 Insulation between programs and data:
❖Called program-data independence ( PDI ).
❖Allows changing data structures and storage organization without having
to change the DBMS access programs.
❖Program operation independence (POI) (OO system).
❖Data abstraction = PDI + POI.
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 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
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(continued)…
❖Data Abstraction:
➢A data model is a type of data abstraction (ERD,…).
➢It hide storage details and present the users with a conceptual view
of the database.
➢Programs refer to the data model constructs rather than data storage
details.
Support of multiple views of the data:
❖Each user may see a different view of the database, which describes
only the data of interest to that user.
❖This characteristic used in security. 2/17/2025
 Main Characteristics of the Database Approach
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(continued)…
Sharing of data and multi-user transaction processing:
❖Allowing a set of concurrent users to retrieve from and to update the
database.
❖Concurrency control within the DBMS guarantees that each transaction is
correctly executed or aborted (ticket reservation).
❖Recovery subsystem ensures each completed transaction has its effect
permanently recorded in the database
❖OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) is a major part of database
applications. This allows hundreds of concurrent transactions to execute per
second (Bank transfer).

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 Advantages of Using the DBMS Approach
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1. Controlling redundancy in data storage and in development and

maintenance efforts.
➢ Sharing of data among multiple users.
2. Restricting unauthorized access to data.
➢ Security and privilege
3. Providing persistent storage for program Objects
➢ Save object in database.
➢ Impedance mismatch problem.
4. Providing Storage Structures and search techniques for efficient query
processing.
➢ indexes for efficient Query Processing
➢ Buffering and caching. 2/17/2025
 Advantages of Using the DBMS Approach, continued …
32

5. Providing backup and recovery services.

6. Providing multiple interfaces to different classes of users (GUIs)
7. Representing complex relationships among data.
8. Enforcing integrity constraints on the database.
9. Drawing inferences and actions from the stored data using
deductive and active rules
❖Deductive database
❖Active database (triggers)

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 Additional Implication of Using the Database Approach
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Potential for enforcing standards:

❖This is very crucial for the success of database applications in large
organizations. Standards refer to data item names, display formats,
screens, report structures, meta-data (description of data), Web page
layouts, etc.
Reduced application development time:
❖Incremental time to add each new application is reduced.

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 Additional Implication of Using the Database Approach,
34
continued …
Flexibility to change data structures:
❖Database structure may evolve as new requirements are defined.
Availability of current information:
❖Extremely important for on-line transaction systems such as airline,
hotel, car reservations.
Economies of scale:
❖Wasteful overlap of resources and personnel can be avoided by
consolidating data and applications across departments.

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 When not to use a DBMS
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Main inhibitors (costs) of using a DBMS:

❖High initial investment and possible need for additional hardware.
❖Overhead for providing generality, security, concurrency control,
recovery, and integrity functions.
When a DBMS may be unnecessary:
❖If the database and applications are simple, well defined, and not
expected to change.
❖If there are stringent real-time requirements that may not be met
because of DBMS overhead.
❖If access to data by multiple users is not required. 2/17/2025
 When not to use a DBMS …
36

When no DBMS may suffice:

❖If the database system is not able to handle the complexity of data
because of modeling limitations
❖If the database users need special operations not supported by the
DBMS.

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37 Review Questions
 True or False?
1. Database is a collection of random data.
2. A database is designed, built, and populated with data for
specific purpose.
3. DBMS : is a general-purpose software system.
4. In database approach : each program defines and manages its
own data.
 What doses we mean by “Manipulating the database”?
 What are the main advantages of DBMS?
 When not to use a DBMS?

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