Database Systems

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the idea of a universe of discourseDistinguish between the intension and extension of a databaseDefine the concept of data integrity and integrity constraintsDiscuss the issues of transactions, states and update functionsRelate the idea of a data modelIntroduce the multi-user and distributed nature of contemporary database systems

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish between data and information in terms of the concept of a signDescribe the four layers of a signDistinguish between syntax and semantics, and explain the relevance of this distinction to the concept of a database schema

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Establish the need for database systemsProvide a definition for the concepts of a database, a DBMS and a data modelDistinguish between data model as architecture and data model as blueprintProvide a brief history of data managementIntroduce the process of database system development

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of a system and its applicability to systems of technology, information and human activityDescribe the place of a database system within an ICT systemDistinguish between various levels of a database modelDescribe a number of types of user for a database system

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define electronic business and electronic commerceExplain how ICT aids restructuring of the internal and external value-chains of businessesDescribe the typical ICT infrastructure of the businessIdentify the place of databases and database systems in the ICT infrastructure

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the three-level architecture of a DBMSHighlight the key functions in a DBMSProvide an overview of the interface to a DBMSProvide an overview of the structure of the kernel of a DBMS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the history of the relational data modelDescribe the key features of data definition in the relational data modelDescribe the key features of data manipulation in the relational data modelDescribe the key features of data integrity in the relational data model

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Explain the evolution of the object-oriented (OO) data model from semantic data modelsIntroduce an approach to object-orientation founded in extensions to the relational data modelDescribe the key features of the OO data model in terms of data definition, data manipulation and data integrity

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss the genesis of the deductive data model in formal logicDescribe the major elements of the deductive data modelExplain why deductive databases are sometimes described as ‘intelligent’ databases

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish between the relational and the post-relational data modelDescribe some of the key features of the post-relational data model: triggers, procedures and abstract data types

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the history of the standard database sublanguage SQLDefine the common data types available in SQLDescribe the key features of the create table statementDiscuss mechanisms for defining schemas in SQLDiscuss standardisation of system tables among DBMS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the implementation of entity integrity using SQLRelate the implementation of referential integrity using SQLDescribe the implementation of domain integrity using SQLDiscuss the implementation of table constraints using SQL

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the key features of the Select statementDescribe the key commands for insertion, update and deletion of data in SQL

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the key stages of the database development processDescribe the key features of conceptual modellingOutline the key features of logical modellingDescribe the key features of physical modellingRelate the key elements of the database development toolkit

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the difference between requirements elicitation and requirements specificationDiscuss the importance of stakeholder identification and participationRelate some of the features of a requirementDiscuss the differences between requirements elicitation and requirements captureDescribe some of the key elicitation techniques

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the key elements of the entity-relationship approachDiscuss a number of extensions to the entity-relationship approachConsider some of the pragmatics involved in producing entity modelsConsider the issue of view integration

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss the links between object modelling and entity-relationship diagrammingDiscuss the key constructs of object modellingPractise some of the key principles of object modellingDescribe the process of composing an object model

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe why normalisation is importantRelate the five normal formsDevelop a diagram based upon determinanciesAccommodate a determinancy diagram to a relational schema

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish the process of physical database design from that of logical database designIndicate the alignment between physical design and models of the IS development processDescribe the major activities of physical database design

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the process of database implementationDescribe a list of common database implementation decisionsDiscuss options in the establishment of storage-related structures and access mechanismsDiscuss the process of denormalisation and various options used to implement integrity constraints

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish between corporate data modelling and application data modellingDiscuss the pragmatics of strategic data planning

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of data administrationDiscuss the scope of the data administration functionRelate the costs and benefits of having a data administration functionDefine the concept of a data dictionaryConsider the issue of database security

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of database administrationDiscuss the key features of the database administratorDiscuss the key administration function of data control

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of a user interfaceReview the major forms of user interfaceDiscuss the major end-user interfaces available in contemporary DBMS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss command-line and embedded SQL interfacesDefine the concept of an application programming interfaceConsider the use of SQL within a fourth generation languageDiscuss the relevance of computer aided information systems engineering tools to application development

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe some of the key user-related functions available to the database administratorDescribe some of the key archiving, backup and recovery functions available to the database administratorDescribe some of the key security and integrity functions available to the database administratorDescribe some of the key performance monitoring functions available to the database administrator

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish between logical and physical organisation of dataDescribe the major features of the physical organisation of dataIllustrate features of logical organisation and the mapping to physical organisation

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Explain the concept of an access mechanismDefine the concept of an indexDescribe a number of different types of access mechanismExplain the principle of a B-tree indexDiscuss the functionality of the SQL CREATE INDEX statement

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of base integrityDiscuss the concept of a transactionDiscuss the problems of concurrency control and the traditional solution of lockingReview the issue of database consistency and the traditional solution in terms of transaction logging and recovery

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss the structure of the physical data dictionaryDiscuss the key features of the query management function of a DBMSDescribe the process of query optimisationReview backup and recovery facilities available in DBMS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Distinguish between relational and post-relational DBMSDescribe some of the key features of SQL3

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss the history of the ODMG object modelDescribe the key elements of the ODMG object modelIllustrate schema definition using the object definition language

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe the features of the Microsoft Access DBMSProvide a brief tutorial introduction to using Microsoft Access

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Describe some of the history of the ORACLE DBMSDefine Codd’s rules for relational DBMSDescribe the core features of the ORACLE DBMSIllustrate some of the key object-relational features of ORACLE

At the end of the chapter the reader will be able to: Describe a number of different approaches to implementing an OODBMSDiscuss some of the key features of the O₂ DBMS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the layers of an ICT systemDiscuss some of the major options in distributing processing in a database systemRelate some of the activities involved in building client-server database systems

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the key objectives of a distributed database systemDiscuss some of the advantages of distributed database systemsDescribe the major types of distributed database systemDiscuss some of the problems in building distributed database systems

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Discuss the distinction between conventional computer architectures and parallel computer architecturesDescribe a number of alternative parallel computer architecturesIndicate the importance of parallel computers to database systems

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define what is meant by complex dataDescribe the concept of semi-structured data and the significance of XMLDescribe the concept of spatial data and the importance of database systems to GIS

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of a data warehouse and that of a data martDiscuss some of the benefits and challenges of data warehousingDescribe the steps needed to be taken in a data warehousing projectDiscuss the key components of a data warehouseConsider some of the issues involved in designing warehouse schemas

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of OLAP and the operations it supportsRelate Codd’s rules for OLAP toolsDiscuss the essential features of OLAP toolsDescribe different types of OLAP servers

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of data miningDiscuss the essential features of data mining techniques

At the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: Define the concept of the InternetDescribe the key components of the WebRelate the place of database systems in Internet and Web applicationsProvide an overview of a number of different ways of building Web-enabled database applications