Databases and Information Management

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment

File organization concepts

Computer system uses hierarchies
Field: Group of characters Record: Group of related fields File: Group of records of same type Database: Group of related files

Record: Describes an entity 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

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment

The Data Hierarchy

A computer system organizes data in a hierarchy that starts with the bit, which represents either a 0 or a 1. Bits can be grouped to form a byte to represent one character, number, or symbol. Bytes can be grouped to form a field, and related fields can be grouped to form a record. Related records can be collected to form a file, and related files can be organized into a database.

Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment

Problems with the traditional file processing (files maintained separately by different departments)
Data redundancy and inconsistency
Data redundancy: Presence of duplicate data in multiple files Data inconsistency: Same attribute has different values

Program-data dependence: Lack of flexibility Poor security Lack of data sharing and availability

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Database:
Collection of data organized to serve many applications by centralizing data and controlling redundant data

Database management system:

Interfaces between application programs and physical data files Separates logical and physical views of data Solves problems of traditional file environment
Controls redundancy Eliminated inconsistency Uncouples programs and data Enables central management and security

Components of a DBS cont. 6

Application Program

Analyst

Application Program

DATA DICTIONARY/ DIRECTORY

Application Program
DBMS DATAB ASE

Terminals
User Computer PRINTER

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Components of a 7Database System

Four components: People, H/W, S/W, Data
Practitioners (analysts and database designers)

in consultation with users identify data needs and design database structures to accommodate these needs.
The database structures are specified to the

DBMS through the data dictionary.

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8 Components of a DBS cont.

Users enter data into the system by following

specified procedures. The entered data are maintained on hardware media such as disks and tapes. Application programmes that access the database are written by practitioners and users to be run on computers.

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Database System: Software

9

A database software includes two types of

software

General-purpose database management software like operating system. Application software that uses DBMS facilities to manipulate the database to achieve a specific business function, such as providing reports or documents, which can be used by users.

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Database System: Software cont.

10

Application software is generally written

standard programming language such as C, or it may be written in a language (commonly called a fourth-generation language) supplied with the DBMS.
These programs utilise the command language

of the DBMS and make use of the information contained in the data dictionary.

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Database System: Software cont.

11

User Interface

Language, menus and other facilities by which users interact with various system components, such as application programs, the DBMS

Computer-aided software engineering (CASE)

tools

Automated tools used to design databases and application programs.

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Data Dictionary/Directory (Repository)

12

A subsystem that keeps track of the

definitions of all data items in the database. relationships that exists between various data structures. indexes that are used to access data quickly. screen and report format definitions that may be used by various application programs.

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13

Data Dictionary

Definitions of data items in the database

includes:

Elementary-level data items (fields),

group and record-level data structures, and

files or relational tables.

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Metadata
Data that describe the properties or characteristics of other data.
Some of these properties include data definitions, data structures and rules or constraints. Item name, the data type, length, minimum and maximum allowable values (where appropriate) and a brief description of each data item. Metadata allow database designers and users to understand what data exist, what the data mean. Data without clear meaning can be confusing, 14 misinterpreted or erroneous.

Metadata
E.g.
Data Item Name Type
Name ID Dept Age Character Number Character Integer

Value Length Min Max Description

30 9 10 2 Employee Name Employee No. Dept. No. Employee Age Dept. Name Mgr. Emp. No.

18

60

Name Character 15 Manager Number 9

Employee No. (ID) unique Manager is an employee of the organisation

15

Database System: People 16

Two different types of people (users and

practitioners) are concerned with the database.

Users

who need information from the database to carry out their primary business responsibility

e.g. Executives, managers, staff, clerical personnel

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Database System: People cont. 17

Practitioners
people

responsible for the database system and its associated application software.

e.g. Database administrators, analysts, programmers, database and system designers, information systems managers.

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Components of a Database System

18

Four components: People, H/W, S/W, Data

Practitioners (analysts and database designers)

in consultation with users identify data needs and design database structures to accommodate these needs.
The database structures are specified to the

DBMS through the data dictionary.

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Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Human Resources Database with Multiple Views

A single human resources database provides many different views of data, depending on the information requirements of the user. Illustrated here are two possible views, one of interest to a benefits specialist and one of interest to a member of the companys payroll department.

Figure 6-3

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Relational DBMS
Represent data as two-dimensional tables called relations or files Each table contains data on entity and attributes

Table: Grid of columns and rows

Rows (tuples): Records for different entities
Fields (columns): Represents attribute for entity Key field: Field used to uniquely identify each record Primary key: Field in table used for key fields Foreign key: Primary key used in second table as look-up field to identify records from original table

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Relational Database Tables

A relational database organizes data in the form of two-dimensional tables. Illustrated here are tables for the entities SUPPLIER and PART showing how they represent each entity and its attributes. Supplier_Number is a primary key for the SUPPLIER table and a foreign key for the PART table.

Figure 6-4A

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Relational Database Tables (cont.)

Figure 6-4B

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management

SQL
Is a language used to Operate on a Relational DBMS: Three basic operations used to develop useful sets of data SELECT: Creates subset of data of all records that meet stated criteria

JOIN: Combines relational tables to provide user with more information than available in individual tables
PROJECT: Creates subset of columns in table, creating tables with only the information specified

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

The Three Basic Operations of a Relational DBMS

The select, project, and join operations enable data from two different tables to be combined and only selected attributes to be displayed.

Figure 6-5

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Sample Data Dictionary Report

Figure 6-6
The sample data dictionary report for a human resources database provides helpful information, such as the size of the data element, which programs and reports use it, and which group in the organization is the owner responsible for maintaining it.

Management Information Systems

Chapter 6 Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management The Database Approach to Data Management

Example of an SQL Query

Illustrated here are the SQL statements for a query to select suppliers for parts 137 or 150. They produce a list with the same results as Figure 6-5.

Figure 6-7