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It makes little sense to design databases that meet design elegance standards while they fail to meet end-user information requirements

• Therefore, always explore the use of carefully defined trade-offs to ensure that the databases meet end-user requirements while conforming to high design standards

An information system is designed to help transform data into information and to manage both data and information.

• Thus, the database is a very important part of the information system

Systems analysis is the process that establishes the need for an information system and its extent.

Systems development is the process of creating an information system

1. File Systems and Databases
2. Data Models: Hierarchical, Network & Relational models, Object-Oriented Databases and NoSQL Databases
3. The Relational Database Model
4. The Entity-Relational Modeling
5. Normalization of Database Tables
6. Introduction to SQL & Query Processing
7. Transaction Management and Concurrency Control
8. Distributed Database Management Systems
9. Database Administration & Security: Client - server systems

In today's world, data is ubiquitous(abundant, global, everywhere) & pervasive(unescapable, prevalent, persistent)

• Databases are the best way to store and manage data
• Databases make data persistent and shareable in a secure way

Databases, are specialized structures that allow computer-based systems to store, manage, and retrieve data very quickly

• Data >> information >> Decisions

From birth to death, we generate and consume data. In between, each individual produces and consumes enormous amounts of data

Data

• Raw facts and figures that have no meaning to the end-users
• Data constitutes the building blocks of information

Information - information age

• Processed raw data - meaningful to end-users
• Accurate, relevant, and timely information is the key to good decision making
• Good decision making is the key to organizational survival in a global environment
• Information is the bedrock of knowledge - what is it?

Data management

• A process that focuses on data collection, storage, and retrieval
• Common data management functions include addition, deletion,modification, & listing

Database

• A shared, integrated computer structure that houses a collection of related data
• A database contains two types of data:
1. End-user data (raw facts)
2. Metadata-data about data; i.e., data about data properties & relationships

Database management system (DBMS)

• The collection of programs that manages the database structure and controls access to the data stored in the database

• Data dictionary management
• Data storage management
• Data transformation & presentation
• Security management
• Multiuser access control
• Backup & recovery management
• Database access languages & application programming interfaces
• Database communication interfaces

Single-user database-A database that supports only one user at a time

Multi-user database-A database that supports multiple concurrent users

Enterprise database-The overall company data representation, which provides support for present and expected future needs

Centralized database-A database located at a single site

Distributed database-A logically related database that is stored in two or more physically independent sites

Cloud database-A database that is created and maintained using cloud services, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS

Business intelligence-A set of tools & processes used to capture, collect, integrate, store, & analyze data to support business decisions

Queries about this Lesson, please send them to: jmwaura@jkuat.ac.ke

*References*

• Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, 12th ed. Carlos Coronel & Steven Morris
• Database Modeling and Design; Logical Design, 5th ed. Taby Teorey et.al
• Fundamentals of database systems, 6th ed. Ramez Elmasri & Shamkant B. Navathe