Revised: jas 5.21.

2013 1

Topics for Chapter 9:

1. The Course
2. Chapter Approach
3. Assignments--what is due from you
Chapter Approach
What is the relationship between a database and an information system, and how does this relationship
have a bearing on database design?
An information system performs three sets of services:
It provides for data collection, storage, and retrieval.
It facilitates the transformation of data into information.
It provides the tools and conditions to manage both data and information.
Basically, a database is a fact (data) repository that serves an information system. If the database is
designed poorly, one can hardly expect that the data/information transformation will be successful, nor is
it reasonable to expect efficient and capable management of data and information.
The transformation of data into information is accomplished through application programs. It is impossible
to produce good information from poor data; and, no matter how sophisticated the application programs
are, it is impossible to use good application programs to overcome the effects of bad database design. In
short: Good database design is the foundation of a successful information system.
Database design must yield a database that:
Does not fall prey to uncontrolled data duplication, thus preventing data anomalies and the
attendant lack of data integrity.
Is efficient in its provision of data access.
Serves the needs of the information system.
The last point deserves emphasis: even the best-designed database lacks value if it fails to meet
information system objectives. In short, good database designers must pay close attention to the
information system requirements.
Systems design and database design are usually tightly intertwined and are often performed in parallel.
Therefore, database and systems designers must cooperate and coordinate to yield the best possible
information system.
Assignments
Assignments are those activities that you must complete on a timely basis. They are evaluated for your
final grade in this semester long course. Typically these will include completing problems from the
textbook and/or other sources, submitting comments, questions, or answers to the Chapter discussion
board thread, doing some research on the Web and reporting results, and completing chapter quizzes.
Book Resources
At the bottom of page v, Brief Contents is a short paragraph indicating you should use the access card
found at the back of your book to register to access Free Material to supplement your learning. Course
Materials includes a tutorial illustrating how to locate Free Material at www.cengagebrain.com.
Deliverables or Things you must do to get points in this course.
Each week of the semester you will read a chapter in the book, review the lecture material, complete
assignments related to the chapter, participate in the discussion board, and complete a chapter quiz.

Revised: jas 5.21.2013 2

1. Submit any comments or questions about the above material to the Course Q & A discussion board
forum in Blackboard. We will use this for any questions that may or may not be course related, this is an
area where you can carry on a conversation that is not part of the assessment process.

2. Respond to the following using good English, correct spelling, and 300 to 400 words:
1. List three advantages and three disadvantages of a distributed system compared to a centralized
system?
Submit to the current Class Partitication thread in the Discussion Board, complete sentences, correct
punctuation, good English is important. You may find it easier to do this in your word processing program
and then copy and paste into the discussion board area because then you can spell check the material.
Spelling and correct grammar is important! A useful discussion board works when there is two-way
communication. You must respond to a minimum of two other submissions each week. In order for this
communication to work properly, you should aim to submit your first response by Thursday so others have
time to respond to your comment by Sunday.

3. Complete Problems # 2, 3, and 5 found on pages 433 in the text book. Use a word processing program
to complete this assignment, if you are NOT using Microsoft Word, save your file as RTF. A double spaced
page is approximately 250 words in any word processing program and your final document will consist of
at least one paragraph per problem. Good English, spelling, and word usage are important. Save the file as:
Chapter9. Upload the completed file in Blackboard using the View/Complete assignment link. Make sure to
choose the Submit button because the Save button just stores the file and does not actually transfer it to
me for grading. Assignments submitted after the due receive no credit.
4. Complete the quiz for the Chapter.
5. Submit any questions to the "Course Q & A" Forum in the discussion board.
6. Any email to me must include CPT 235 and your full name in the subject. All incorrect subject messages
are automatically deleted. The only email you will send will pertain to grades or academic progress.
7. Summary Read the Chapter, review the presentation, complete the problems, participate in the
discussion board, and take the quiz in Blackboard for credit, before the due date.
Useful Web Links - Chapter 9
1. Concurrency Control
This site describes the behavior of the PostgreSQL database system when two or more sessions try to
access the same data at the same time. Application of concurrency control in PostgreSQL is discussed
in detail.
2. Advanced SQL Server Locking
SQL Server has a number of lock types and different granularities on these locks. The article provides
an applied viewpoint to the locking mechanisms as they are used in SQL server.
3. DBAsupport.com
The article presents a basic introduction to transaction processing in PL/SQL and primarily focuses on
the Autonomous transaction processing feature of PL/SQL. Also, the changes made in oracle 9i are
discussed.
4. Optimistic Locking with Concurrency in Oracle
The article presents two ways of locking in Oracle: Pessimistic and Optimistic. The author presents
different problems with pessimistic locking and discusses how optimistic locking can be gained via
concurrency.