DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

UNIT I

Chapter 1
Introduction to Database System Concepts and Architecture

Databases and Database Users, Characteristics of the Database

Approach, Actors on the Scene, Advantages of Using a DBMS

Data Models, Schemas and Instances, DBMS Architecture and Data

Independence, Database Languages and Interfaces, The Database
System Environment

 What is Database..?

A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can

easily be accessed, managed and updated.
Database and Database technology has a major impact on the growing use of
computers.
So we can say that database plays a critical role in all areas where the
computers are used.
So Database is a collection of related data.
By data, we mean known facts that can be recorded and that have implicit
meaning.
For example, storing a number in ur cell phone hence phone has a database
and collection of words and related topics in a book leads to text book so text
book is a database.

 Properties of an database are

1. A database represents some aspects of miniworld or theUniverse of
Discourse(UoD). Some part of the real world about which data is
stored in a database. Changes in the miniworld leads to change in the
database.
2. Adatabaseis a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent
meaning. A random assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to
as adatabase.
3. A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific
purpose.
. In other words, a database has some source from which data is
derived. For example, our college website.

 A database can be any size and complexity. For example

1. If we start writing our schedule for one day how the database looks..?
2. Consider the database of our college?
3. An example for large commercial database is Amazon, how the
database is?
So database can be maintained manually or can be computerized.

 A database management system(DBMS) is a collection of programs that

enables users to create maintain a database.
The DBMS is a general purpose software system that facilitates the
process of defining, constructing, manipulating and sharing among
various users.
Another important functions provided by the DBMS is protecting and
maintaining the database.
To complete our definitions, we will call database and DBMS as
database system.

 Database manipulation involves querying and updating. Examples are

1. Retrieve the transcript a list of all courses and grades of Smith.

2. List the students who have taken only CS as major subject.

. Like wise we can make number of queries and if the query is

successfully give the result then its an accurate database.

Characteristics of a database approach:

Characteristics mainly depend on the file processing.
So what is file processing?
We have mainly 4 types of characteristics and they are
1. Self describing nature of a database system.
2. Insulation between programs and data, and data abstraction.
3. Support of multiple views of data.
4. Sharing of data and multiuser transactions processing.

1. Self describing nature of a database system.

. A fundamental characteristics of database approach is that the
database system contains not only the database but also a complete
definition or description of database structure or constraints.

 This definition is stored in the DBMS catalog, which contains

information such as structure of each file, the type and storage format
of each data item and various constraints on the data.
The information stored in the catalog is called meta data.
The catalog is used by the DBMS software and also by the database
users who need information about the database structure.
A general purpose DBMS software package is not written for a specific
database application. Therefore, it must refer to the catalog to know the
structure of a file, such as type and format of data it will access.

2. Insulation between programs and data, and data abstraction.

. In traditional file processing, the structure of data files is embedded in the
application programs, so any changes to the structure of a file may require
changing all programs that access that file.
. But DBMS access programs do not require much changes in almost all
cases.
. The structure of data files is stored in the DBMS catalog separately from
the access programs. We call this property as program data
independence.
. In some types of database systems, such as object oriented, users can
define operations on data as part of the database definitions.
. User applications operate on data by invoking operations through their
name and arguments, regardless how the operations are implemented. We
call this property as program operation independence.
. These both terms leads to data abstraction(reduction of a particular body
ofdatato a simplified representation).

3. Support of Multiple views of Data

A database typically has many users, each of whom may require a
different perspective or view of the database.
A view may be a subset of a database or it may contain virtual data
that is derived from the database file but it is not explicitly stored.
For example : Printing of a particular record.

4. Sharing of data and multiuser transactions processing.

A multiuser DBMS, as it name says, it must allow multiple users to
access the database at the same time.
This is essential if data for multiple applications is to be integrated and
maintained in a single database.
The DBMS must include concurrence control software to ensure all
these things to happen.
For example, online reservation.

Actors on the Scene:

In large organizations, many people are involved in the design use, and
maintenance of a large database with hundreds of users.
The people whose involve in the day to day use of large database, we call
them as actors on the scene.
Database Administrators (DBA): responsible for authorizing access to the
database, for co-ordinating and monitoring its use, acquiring software, and
hardware resources, controlling its use and monitoring efficiency of
operations.
Database Designers :
These are responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the database
and for choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data.
Responsible to define the content, the structure, the constraints, and
functions or transactions against the database. They must communicate
with the end-users and understand their needs.

 End-users: are the people whose jobs require access to the database for
queries, reports and some of them actually update the database content.
There are several types of end users are there and they are

Casual end user: occasionally access the database but they need
different information each time.
Nave or Parametric user: constantly querying and updating the
database, using standard types of queries and updates called canned
transactions that have been carefully programmed and tested
Examples are Bank tellers and online reservation process.

 Sophisticated end users: includes scientists, engineers, business

analysts and others who thoroughly familiarize with the facilities of the
DBMS in order to develop there own application.

Standalone users : maintain personal database by using ready made

program packages that is easy to use.

System Analysts and Application programmers (software engineers )

Advantages of DBMS Approach:

1. Controlling Redundancy:
. Redundancy repetition of messages to reduce the probability of errors in
transaction.
. In traditional software development utilizing file processing, every user
group maintains its own files for handling its data processing applications.
. For example, maintenance of student database of different perspective.
. This redundancy in storing the same data for multiple times leads to
several problem.
. First, there is the need to perform a single logical update.
. Second, storage space is wasted.
. Third, files that represent the same data becomes inconsistent.

 In database approach, the views of different user groups are integrated

during database design.
Ideally, we should have a database design that stores each logical data
item such as students-name, students age, in only one place in the
database and this is known as data normalization.
However it is sometimes it is necessary to use control redundancy.
For example, merging of some tables in to one table.

2. Restricting Unauthorized Access

When multiple users shares a large database, it is likely that most of the
users will not be authorized to access all information in database.

For example, in our lab, if we want to install a software we need the

admin permission to continue the process.

So DBMS should provide a security and authorization subsystem.

3. Providing Persistent Storage For Program Objects

Persistent means existing data after the execution of the program that
creates it.
The values of program variables or objects are discarded once a program
terminates, unless the programmer explicitly stores them in permanent
files.
When the need arises to read this data once more, the programmer
must convert from the file format to the program variable or object
structure.
Hence a complex objects can be easily stored permanently in DBMS
structure.

4. Providing storage structure and Search Techniques for Efficient Query

Processing
5. Providing Backup and Recovery
6. Providing Multiple User Interface
7. Representing Complex Relationships among Data
8. Enforcing Integrity Constraints.
9. Permitting Interfacing and Actions Using Rules