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Introduction: What is a Data Base?

Lecture: Fundamentals of Data Base Systems Abdul Rahman Sherzad


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Brainstorming
In what context have you heard of the term data base or database? Have you ever used a database system? In which situations in our everyday life do we interact with data base systems?

Database System Application


Banking:
For customer information, accounts, and loans, and banking transactions.

Universities:
For student information, course registrations, and grades.

Sales:
For customer, product, and purchase information.
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Database System Application


Airlines:
For reservations and schedule information.

Credit card transactions:


For purchases on credit cards and generation of monthly statements printed record of account activity.

Human resources:
For information about employees, salaries, payroll taxes and benefits, and for generation of paychecks salary voucher.
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Database System Application


Telecommunication:
For keeping records of calls made, generating monthly bills, maintaining balances on prepaid calling cards, and storing information about the communication network. For storing information about sales, and purchases of financial instruments such as stocks and bonds. For management of supply chain and for tracking production of items in factories, inventories of items in warehouses/stores, and orders for items.
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Finance:

Manufacturing:

Brainstorming Summary
Databases play a critical role in almost all areas in which computers are used!

What is Database? Definition


Elmasri & Navathe (2007):
A database is a collection of related data.

By data, we mean known facts that can be recorded and that have implicit meaning.

What is Database? Definition


Properties of a database:
A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called mini-world or the universe of discourse (UoD). Changes to the mini-world are reflected in the database.

What is Database? Definition


Properties of a database:
A database is a logically coherent consistent or logical collection of data with some inherent meaning. A random assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to as a database.

What is Database? Definition


Properties of a database:
A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific purpose. It has an intended group of users and some preconceived applications in which these users are interested.

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Databases Size and Complexity


A database can be of any size and complexity
Example for a small database:
Personal DB with addresses with only a few hundred records (each with a simple structure)

Example for a large database:


Amazon.com: with more than 20 million of books, CDs, eBooks, magazines, journals and etc. In a DB with the size of 2 terabytes

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Definition: Database Management System


A Database Management System (DBMS) is a collection of interrelated data and set of programs to access those data. The collection of data, usually referred to as the database, contains information related to an enterprise.

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Definition: Database Management System


Elmasri & Navathe (2007):
A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of programs that enables users to create and maintain a database.

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Definition: Database Management System


A DBMS fulfills several purposes:
defining databases constructing databases manipulating databases sharing databases among various users and applications

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DBMS
MS Access MySQL (Open Source) SQL-Server (Microsoft) Oracle PostgreSQL FoxPro SQLite
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Definition: Application Program


Elmasri & Navathe (2007), p. 6:
An application program accesses the database by sending queries or requests to the DBMS.
A query (question, inquiry) is the interaction with the database, e.g. retrieving or manipulating data.

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Definition: Database System


The database, the DBMS software, and the application program together are called a database system.

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Overview

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Example of a database system

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Actors around Database Systems


What roles do people take around a database system?

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Actors around Database Systems


What roles do people take around a database system?
End users DB designers DB administrators Application programmers

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Actors around Database Systems


End users:
the people who will use the DB when it is finished normally little technical knowledge use of the DB

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Actors around Database Systems


Database Designers:
the database designers conceptually design and implement the DB
analyze requirements for the DB gathering of information about the application field conceptual schema. (conceptual = of an idea or concept) choice of DBMS
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Actors around Database Systems


Database Administrators:
when the database is designed and implemented it is handed over to the DB administrator person responsible for the DB during its lifetime management of user accounts, hardware resources, backups, etc.

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Actors around Database Systems


Application Programmers:
programmers that write programs that use the DB programmers of a graphical user interface (GUI) for the database

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Thats all for today

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