Database Management
System
Lecture
by:
Surendra Shrestha,
PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Electronics & Computer
Engineering
Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering,
References Books:
C.J. Date, Introduction to Database Systems,
Addison-Wesley
Abraham Silberschatz et. al, Database System
Concepts, Tata McGraw Hill
Ramez Elmasri & Shamkant B. Navathe,
Fundamentals of Database Systems,
Gursharan Singh, A Guide to Oracle Developer
2000/Form, Khanna Book Publishing Co. P. Ltd.
Silberschatz, Korth, Sudarshan, Database System
Concept, 4th edition,
UNIT I:
1.1 Definition of Database and database
system
1.2 Characteristics of Database approach
1.3 Database system versus Traditional file
processing system
1.4 Advantages and limitations of using
DBMS
Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment :
Fields: Group of
characters, words, or a
complete number
Records: Group of related
fields, describes an entity
(a person, place or thing
about which information
must be kept
- each characteristic of an
entity is an attribute
File: Group of records of
the same type
Database: Group of
related files
Dataisusuallynotusefuluntilsubjectedtoa
valueaddedprocesswhere:
Its form is aggregated, manipulated
and organized
Its content is analyzed and
evaluated
It is placed in a proper context for
human user
1.What is a database?
A database is a collection of data which
can be used:
alone, or
combined / related to other data
to provide answers to the users
question.
2. What is a Database Management
System?
A DBMS is a collection of programs
which
provide management of databases
control access to data
contain a query language to retrieve
information easily
A database management system (DBMS) is
software that:
Acts as an interface between application programs
and the data files
Separates the logical view of the database (how the
data is perceived by end users) and the physical view
(how the data is actually organized on storage media).
It also allows different logical views for different users.
Helps to reduce data redundancy and eliminate data
inconsistency by allowing a central, shared data
source
Collection of interrelated data
Set of programs to access the data
DBMS contains information about a
particular enterprise
DBMS provides an environment that is
both convenient and efficient to use.
Database Applications:
Banking: all transactions
Airlines: reservations, schedules
Universities: registration, grades
Sales: customers, products, purchases
Manufacturing: production, inventory, orders,
supply chain
Human resources: employee records, salaries,
tax deductions
Databases touch all aspects of our lives
Purpose of Database System
In the early days, database applications were
built on top of file systems
Drawbacks of using file systems to store data:
Data redundancy and inconsistency
Multiple file formats, duplication of information in different
files
Difficulty in accessing data
Need to write a new program to carry out each new task
Data isolation multiple files and formats
Integrity problems
Integrity constraints (e.g. account balance > 0) become
part of program code
Hard to add new constraints or change existing ones
Drawbacks of using file systems (cont.)
Atomicity of updates
Failures may leave database in an inconsistent
state with partial updates carried out
E.g. transfer of funds from one account to
another should either complete or not happen at
all
Concurrent access by multiple users
Concurrent accessed needed for performance
Uncontrolled concurrent accesses can lead to
inconsistencies
E.g. two people reading a balance and updating it at
the same time
Security problems
Database systems offer solutions to all
the above problems
3. Database Design
It is important to design the database in
such a way that:
A specific item can be reached easily
(maximum guarantee that the desired record
will be reached)
The database can respond to the
users
different questions easily (necessary
The database occupies minimum storage
space
(choosing data types and how to express a
certain
concept is important)
The database contains no unnecessary
data
(storing the gross salary is enough, the net
salary
can be calculated from the gross salary)
Data redundancy
Different and conflicting versions of the
same data
e.g. Employee database:
personal info
- ID
- name
payroll
- ID (relating parameter)
- name (causes
redundancy)
- address
- gross salary
TRADITIONAL FILE PROCESSING
Problems resulting from the traditional file
environment include:
Data redundancy: duplicate data in multiple files,
leading to data inconsistency, different values used
for the same attribute
Program-data dependency: Changes in programs
requiring changes to the data
Lack of flexibility
Poor security
Lack of data sharing
Characteristics of DATA in a DATABASE:
Shared
Persistence
Validity / Integrity / Correctness
Security
Consistency
Non-redundancy
Independence
The Database Approach to Data Management:
HUMAN RESOURCES DATABASE WITH MULTIPLE VIEWS
