Legacy Databases A legacy database is a database that has been in existence and in use for five years or

more. Mainframe databases typically fall into this category, as do older PC-based databases. There are
several reasons that “legacy” is used as part of the name for this type of database. First, it suggests that
the database has been around for a long time, possibly longer than anyone can clearly remember.
Second, the word legacy may mean that the individual who originally created the database either has
shifted responsibilities within the organization or is working for someone else and, thus, the database
has become his or her legacy to the organization. Third, the term implies the disturbing possibility that
no single individual completely understands the database structure or how it is implemented in the
RDBMS application program. Mainframe legacy databases present some special problems in the analysis
process. One problem stems from the fact that a number of older mainframe databases are based on
hierarchical or network database models. If neither you nor anyone in the organization has a firm
understanding of these models, it will take you some time to decipher the structure of the database. In
this case, you’ll find it very helpful to make printouts of the data in each of the database structures. Even
if a legacy database is based on the relational model, there’s no particular guarantee that the structure
is sound. Unfortunately, there are many instances in which the people who created these databases
didn’t completely understand the concept of a relational database. (After you have read this book, you
won’t fall into that group.) The result is that many older databases have improper or inefficient
structures. Numerous PC-based legacy databases are improperly or inefficiently designed