Database Design and

Introduction to SQL

Introduction to Database
Management

Terminology
Application: programs, data, procedures
used for some purpose in an organization
(eg financial, payroll, equipment
maintenance, project management, )

Database: an organized collection of

related data for an application

Terminology (ctd)
DBMS (DataBase Management System):
set of programs that manage (create,
modify, secure, backup, restore, ) one or
more databases (eg Access, DB2, Oracle,
SQL Server)

Database Design: determining the

structure (ie. schema) of the database
required for the application

File Based (Nondatabase) Approach

File Based Approach

Used in all manual systems and in early
computerized systems
Duplicates data between applications (eg
customer information stored in files for
Sales, Customer Service, Billing, )
Increased data maintenance
Can create data inconsistencies
Very difficult to fulfill requirements that
involve data from more than one system

Database Approach

Data for each application is stored in a

database and managed by the DBMS
Data can only be accessed through the
DBMS and not directly through the OS

Advantages of Database
Approach
1) Easier to combine data from more than
1 application
2) Ability to share data between
applications can result in reduced data
redundancy (reduced duplication and
improved consistency of data)
3) Concurrency: Allows access to data by
many different users at the same time
4) Centralized control of data by DBMS
and DBA

Advantages of Database (ctd)

5. Improved security and recovery of data
6. Data integrity can be maintained through
constraints
7. DBMS development tools reduce
programming required
8. Application Flexibility and Data
independence : Structure of data can be
changed without having to change
programs

Disadvantages of Database Approach

Complexity of DBMS software requires
developers to have specialized skills
DBMS overhead: software cost, data
storage requirements, processing
requirements, DBA responsibilities
Applications take more time to design
More complex to recover data

Sharing of Data between

Applications using a DBMS

History of DBMSs
Mainframe DBMSs have been used
since the 1960s
Since the mid-1980s, DBMSs on PCs
possess many of the features of their
mainframe counterparts
Evolution of DBMS models:
Hierarchical, Network, Relational,
Object-oriented, Object-relational

Hierarchical Database Model

Data is seen as a tree structure and can
only be retrieved by navigating through
hierarchy
A parent record can have many children
but a child record can have only 1
parent record
Navigation is achieved through use of
pointers physically stored with each
record

Hierarchical Model Example

Network Database Model

Next database model; product examples:
IDMS, I-D-S
Data is seen as a network of records and
relationships between these records
Data can only be accessed by navigating
through defined relationships
Pointers physically stored with each record
permit navigation

Network Database Example

Relational Database Model

Developed after network model

Based on mathematical set theory that

ensures that data can be retrieved in any way
required by an application

Data is stored in the form of 2 dimensional

tables with no physical pointers

Data is related through common columns in

separate tables

Product Examples: Oracle, DB2, SQL Server

Relational Model Example

Hardware:
Client/Server Architecture

Web Client/Server Example

Three-Tier Architecture

A Table of Data

Equivalent Terms