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Database Technology: Achievements and Opportunities Dr M Saraee Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Isfahan University of Technology. Outline of Discussion. Why do we need databases Database Systems: Past, Present and Future Overview of New Approaches. File-based Systems.
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Database Technology:Achievements and OpportunitiesDr M Saraee Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Isfahan University of Technology
Outline of Discussion • Why do we need databases • Database Systems: Past, Present and Future • Overview of New Approaches
File-based Systems A collection of application programs that perform services for the end users (e.g. reports). Each program defines and manages its own data.
Database / DBMS • Database: A shared collection of logically related data (and a description of this data), designed to meet the information needs of an organisation. • DBMS: A software system that enables users to define, create, and maintain the database and which provides controlled access to this database.
Why do we need database management systems? • A Database Management System (DBMS) is a tool that allows to store, modify and query data. However, we can store, modify and query data in a text file! What can a DBMS do that we can’t do with the text file solution. File-based solution to manage data, stick it all in a text file!
Enforcing Constraints • With the File-based Systemsthere is no way to enforce integrity constraints on the data. In other words people can put bad data into the text file. • In contrast, a DBMS allows us to enforce all kinds of constraints. This really helps (but does not guarantee) that our data is correct. A typo gives Roberta Wickham a GPA of 44.00
Scalability • The File-based Systemsold method, might work for small datasets. What happens when we have big datasets… • Most real world datasets are so large that we can only have a small fraction of them in main memory at any time, the rest has to stay on disk. • Even if we had lots of main memory, with 32 bit addressing we can only refer to 4GB of data!
Query Expressiveness • The File-based Systemswould allow us to search for keywords or certain numbers (slowly). • With a DBMS we can search with much more expressive queries. For example I can ask.. “Find all students whose GPA is greater than 2.5, and who don’t own a phone” or “what is the average GPA of the students”
Query Expressiveness II • We could write some program that might allow more expressive queries on my text file, but it would tied into the structure of our data and the operating system etc.. • With a DBMS we are completely isolated from the physical structure of our data. If we change the structure of our data (by adding a field, for example) or moving from a PC to a Mac, nothing changes at the front end!
Different Views • The File-based Systemonly allows one view of the data. • With a DBMS we can arrange for different people to have different views of the data. For example, I can see everything, a student can see only his/her data, the TA can see…
Concurrency • Suppose we leave my text file on UNIX account, and weI log in and begin to modify it at the same time our TA is modifying it! • A DBMS will automatically make sure that this kind of thing cannot happen.
Security • Suppose I leave my text file on UNIX account, and a student hacks in and changes their grades… • A DBMS will allow multiple levels of security.
Crash Recovery • Suppose I am editing my text file and the system crashes! • A DBMS is able to guarantee 100% recovery from system crashes.
Roles in the Database Environment • Data Administrator (DA) • Database Administrator (DBA) • Database Designers (Logical and Physical) • Application Programmers • End Users (native and sophisticated)
Database Systems: Achievements • Relational Database Systems • Transaction Management • Distributed Relational Database Systems
Database Systems: Current Research • Object-Oriented DBMS • Object-Relational DBMS • Support for New Data Types • temporal data • spatial data • Transaction Processing
Technology vs Functionality Matrix Functionality Active Temporal Multimedia Geographical SpatioTemporal Technology Relational Object-Oriented Interoperable Combine functionality from existing technology Add functionality to existing technology
Database Systems: New Applications • Earth Observation Data • Electronic Commerce • Health-Care Information Systems • Digital Publishing • Collaborative Design
Earth Observation Data • The Earth Observing System (EOS) will gather data about the atmosphere, oceans and land. • NASA satellites have been launched from 1998 onwards • Data transmission is estimated to be 1/3 petabyte per year (1PB = 109 MB=1015 bytes) • EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) will support on-line access and maintenance of EOS data.
Electronic Commerce • Needs support for browsing of catalogs and electronic purchasing of goods • Large number of consumers and suppliers • Database challenges • heterogeneous distributed information sources • distributed authentication and fund transfers
Health-Care Information Systems • Improve quality and quantity of health care • Needs support for medical records across hospitals, medical offices and insurance offices and across countries • Collection of historical information about a patient • Database challenges • integration of heterogeneous legacy information • access control to preserve confidentiality of medical records • intelligent interfaces to be used by health-care professionals
Distributed Databases • A distributed database system consists of a collection of sites, connected together via some kind of communications network, in which • each site is a database system in its own right, but • the sites have agreed to work together (if necessary), so that a user at any site can access data anywhere in the network exactly as if the data was all stored at the user's own site • Fundamental principle of distributed databasesa distributed system should look exactly like a nondistributed system
Active Databases • Relational Databases are passive • They execute queries or database operations only when explicitly requested to do so by a user or an application program. • Active Databases arereactive • They monitor conditions defined on states of the database, and then, once these conditions occur, they invoke specified actions.
Active Database Components • The rule base WHEN event IF condition THEN action • The database • The inference mechanism (rule manager) • The user interface
event event UoD UoD UoD i i+1 i-1 IS IS IS i i-1 i+1 T+1 T - 1 T time axis Information Systems and Time
Why Time Modelling? • Historical queries about past status • Trend analysis • Representation of retroactive or proactive changes • Version control and design management • Scheduling and planning requirements
Time and IS Modelling • What was the salary of John Smith last year • What was the business policy for the Product Ordering process under the previous managing director • What is the history of the Product Promotion strategy?
Conclusions • Knowledge Representation and Manipulation within a computer is the single most important challenge for IS • Databases are the main focus of this work and they are the most widely available technology outside operating systems • The next few years will see another rapid expansion of this area Information Management