DataBases and Information 

Management
ITEC201
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment

• Data
Data management is so essential in 
management is so essential in
information management systems.

• An effective information system must provide 
accurate, timely, and relevant information.
i l d l i f i
– Not possible if data is poorly organized!
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment

• A computer organizes data in a hierarchy
– Bit : smallest unit of data in computer
– Byte (single character: letter or digit)
– Field : group of characters
g p
– Record (a group of related fields)
– File (group of records)
– Database: (a group of files)Data management is so essential in 
( g p ) g
information management systems.

• A record describes an entity.
A record describes an entity.
– Entity examples: person, address, car, …
• Each characteristic describing an entity is named attribute
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment
Organizing Data in a Traditional File environment

• Each
Each characteristic describing an entity is 
characteristic describing an entity is
named attribute
– Example: the entity COURSE may have the 
Example: the entity COURSE may have the
following attributes: course_ID, course_Name, 
course_Date, course
, _NumberHours, …..
,
Problems with Traditional File Environment
Problems with Traditional File Environment

• In
In most of organizations, many systems 
most of organizations many systems
tended to grow independently without any 
integration pre‐planning!
integration pre planning!
• Accounting, Finance, manufacturing, human resources, 
sales, stock, …
• Data redundancy and inconsistency!
Files

App program 1 A B C
Accounting

Marketing App program 2 A B C

HR App program 3 A B C
Problems with Traditional File Environment
Problems with Traditional File Environment

• Data Redundancy and Inconsistency
Data Redundancy and Inconsistency
• Duplicate data in multiple data files
• Different groups collect independently the same data 
g p p y
and save it in different data storage devices
• Fields may have different names fr same values!
– Student_ID and ID
• The confusing may prevent the organization to create a 
Customer Relationship Management as well as data
Customer Relationship Management as well as data 
integration!
Problems with Traditional File Environment
Problems with Traditional File Environment

• Program
Program‐Data
Data dependance
dependance
• Coupling between data stored in files and the specific 
programs required to update and maintain these files.
• Any changes in data implies required changes in 
programs!!
• Vice versa
Vi
Problems with Traditional File Environment
Problems with Traditional File Environment

• Poor security
Poor security
• Management may have no way of knowing the who is 
accessing or altering the data

• Lack of data sharing and availability
g y
• Because different pieces of information are located in 
different files
– Information cannot be shared or accessed in a timely manner. 
f b h d d l
 DataBase Management Systems
Management Systems
• A DBMS remedy most of the traditional files 
organization
• A DBMS is a software (collection of programs) that 
permits to:
permits to:
– centralize data
– Manage data efficiently
– Provide access to the stored data to Application programs.
P id t th t d d t t A li ti

• A DBMS plays the role of an interface between 
p y
application programs and data files.
 Operations of a Relational DBMs
Operations of a Relational DBMs

• Three basic operations are useful sets of data:
Three basic operations are useful sets of data:
– Select: creates a subset of all records that meet 
stated criteria.

– Join: combines relational tables to provide the 
user with more information than is available in 
ith i f ti th i il bl i
individual tables.

– Project: permits to create new tables that contain 
only the information required.
 Operations of a Relational DBMs
Operations of a Relational DBMs
• Example:
SELECT PART.part_number, PART.part_name, 
SUPPLIER.supplier_umber, SUPPLIER.supplier_name FROM
PART, SUPPLIER WHERE PART.supplier_number = 
SUPPLIER.supplier_number AND part_number = 137 OR
part_number = 150.
 Object Oriented DBMS
Object Oriented DBMS

• Permits
Permits to store and retrieve images , 
to store and retrieve images ,
photographs, voice, full motion, video, …
• OODBMS become familiar because they can 
OODBMS become familiar because they can
handle multimedia files and data
• Relatively slow with respect to relational 
Relatively slow with respect to relational
DBMS
• Today we may have Hybrid
Today we may have Hybrid Object
Object‐relational
relational 
DBMS
 Distributed Databases
Distributed Databases

• Is stored in more than one physical location
Is stored in more than one physical location

• Data is decentralized
i d li d
• Two main methods to distribute data:
– Partitioned databases
– Replicated databases (Mirorring)
 Distributed Databases
Distributed Databases

• Partitioned DataBases
a t t o ed ata ases Advantages
d a tages
– Reduce the load on a central massive database
– Increase service and responsiveness
– Can be run and processed by smaller and less 
expensive computers

• Partitioned DataBases Drawbacks
– Updating central databases in off‐work hours
U d ti t ld t b i ff kh
– Security issues!