Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT

Objective:
In this lesson, you will learn about database concepts, define and understand database management.

Database Management

atabase Management is a task related to creating, designing, organizing, handling, maintaining, retrieving, and extracting information used within the system. It includes techniques in building-up a file and in producing data for inquiry and reporting purposes.

Database Concepts
A database is a collection of related information about a subject organized in a useful manner. It also provides a base or foundation for procedures such as retrieving information, drawing conclusions, and making decisions. Information in database is organized and stored in a table with rows and columns, as shown below. Product Code 1002 1001 1004 1003 1005 Product Description Mouse Keyboard Printer UPS Processor Unit Cost 250.00 450.00 5,350.00 2,500.00 6,500.00 Quantity 30 25 10 15 5 Delivery Date 09-12-07 09-28-07 10-02-07 10-05-07 10-10-07

A record is a collection of data for a specific object or table. Sometimes, records are referred to as rows within the table or database.

A field refers to the basic building block of any database, relational or not. The separate item of information in a record (for example, the Product Code) is called a field. A field object represents a column of data with a common data type and a common set of properties.

Data are known facts that could be recorded and stored on a computer media.

Types of Database
Personal Database designed to support 1 user. Workgroup Database relatively small group of people who collaborate on the same project or application. Department Database a functional unit within the organization. Enterprise Database the scope refers to the entire organization.

Type of Database Personal Workgroup Department Enterprise Web/Internet

Number of User 1 5-25 25-100 >100 >1000

Typical Size MB MB-GB GB GB-TB GB-TB

Database Application
It is an application program that is used to perform series of activities on behalf of database users. A database application should be able to: Create - add new data Read - retrieve data Update- modify data Delete delete data

Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS)

A Relational DBMS allows you to group its data into one or more distinct tables that can be related to one another by using fields which are common to each related data. It provides the following functions: It allows you to create database structures containing fields, tables, and table relationships. It lets you easily add new records, change field values in existing records, and delete records. It contains a built-in report query language, which lets you obtain immediate answers to questions you ask about your data. It contains a built-in report generator, which lets you produce professional-looking formatted reports from your data. It provides protection of database through security, control, and recovery facilities.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Database Approach Advantages

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Program data independence Minimal data Redundancy Improved data consistency Improved data sharing Increased productivity of application development Enforcement of standards Improved data quality Improved data accessibility Reduced program maintenance

Disadvantages (Cost and Risk)

1. 2. 3. 4. New, specialized personnel Installation and management cost Conversion cost Need for explicit back up and recovery

Lesson 2 WHY DO I NEED A DATABASE?

A Guide to Designing Your Database
Good database design ensures that your database is easy to maintain. You store data in tables and each table contains data about only one subject. Therefore, you update a particular piece of data, such as an address, in just one place and that change automatically appears all through the database.

1. Know the purpose of your database The first step in designing a database is to determine its purpose and how it's to be used. Talk to the people who will use the database and know all the pertinent data what needs to be stored, what reports need to be generated, and what forms are currently being used to record the data. 2. Determine the fields that you need Each field is a fact about a particular subject. For example, you might need to store the following facts about your employees: employee name, address, city, state, and phone number. You need to create a separate field for each of these facts. When determining which fields you need, keep these design principles in mind: Include all of the information you will need. Store information in the smallest logical parts. For example, employee names are often split into two fields, FirstName and LastName, so that it's easy to sort data by LastName. Don't create fields for data that consists of lists of multiple items. For example, in a Suppliers table, if you create a Products field that contains a comma-separated list of each product you receive from the supplier, it will be more difficult to find only the suppliers that provide a particular product. Don't include derived or calculated data (data that is the result of an expression). For example, if you have a UnitPrice field and a Quantity field, don't create an additional field that multiplies the values in these two fields. Don't create fields that are similar to each other. For example, in a Suppliers table, if you create the fields Product1, Product2, and Product3, it will be more difficult to find all suppliers who provide a particular product. Also, you will have to change the design of your database if a supplier provides more than three products. You need only one field for products if you put that field in the Products table instead of in the Suppliers table.

3. Determine the tables that you need Design your tables on paper first, before actually using Access. This will help you create and recreate the tables that will fit your objectives for the database. Each table contains information about the same subject. For every table, there are fields that contain individual facts about the table. Your list of fields will provide clues to the tables you need. 4. Determine which table each field belongs to When you decide which table each field belongs to, keep these design principles in mind:

Add the field to only one table. Don't add the field to a table if it will result in the same information appearing in multiple records in that table. If you determine that a field in a table will contain a lot of duplicate information, that field is probably in the wrong table. When each piece of information is stored only once, you update it in one place. This is more efficient, and it also eliminates the possibility of duplicate entries that contain different information.

5. Identify the field(s) with unique values in each record Determine a primary key for each table that you design. This will uniquely identify the record in the table. This will be used in establishing relationships with other tables in your database. Primary keys are usually code-driven (e.g. EmployeeID, ProductCode). 6. Determine relationships among tables A relationship works by matching data in key fields usually a field with the same name in both tables. In most cases, these matching fields are the primary key from one table, which provides a unique identifier for each record, and a foreign key in the other table. 7. Refine the design After designing the tables and defining the relationships, you need to double-check on your database before inputting data. This will make it easier for you to redesign your tables because no actual data is inside the tables yet. 8. Enter data and create other database objects When you have finally determined the structure that you defined for your tables, you are now to input data.

Normalizing Your Database

When a database suffers from poor table organization, experts say its not normalized. Normalization is the process of modifying a databases structure so that it fully conforms to the

relational model. Its basic goal is to remove redundant data from the database so that it is made more flexible. Normalization involves the following processes: Ensure that each tables fields are uniquely identified by the tables primary key. Ensure that each field represents a single piece of information. Do not store both City and State in the same field, for instance. Remove redundant data from the tables. Remove repeating group fields if theres a possibility that more fields will be added to the group.