Chapter 5 Database Systems

Review Questions
Q1) How can a data dictionary be useful to database administrators and DBMS software engineers?
Data dictionary is useful to database administrators as it contains information about name of the data item, range of value, type of data and list of reports that use the data item. It facilitates the data administrator task to segregate the user based on type of users. As for DBMS software, a data dictionary can assist him to determine type of users and from there, he can develop a software for the targeted users.

Q3) What is database schema, and what is its purpose?

A database schema is a collection of meta-data that describes the relations in a database. It usually use as the layout of a database that outlines the way data is organized into tables.

Q5) What are the advantages of database approach?

Advantages of database approach are:
a. Reduce redundancy of information b. Consistent data flow It can assist us identify the flow of information and

therefore, the results will come in reliable output c. Integration of data It incorporate data in table form.
d.

Security and User privileges it protect data from unwanted users and level of users can be determined to use the application relevance of its actual purpose

e. Ease of application development more comfortable workspace for the

Q7) What is data modeling? What is the purpose? Briefly describe three commonly used data models.
Data modeling is the analysis of data objects that are used in a business or other context and the identification of the relationships among these data objects

Q8) What is data mining? What is OLAP? How are they different?
Data mining is the iterative process of extracting patterns from your business and customer interactions, everything from bar code swipes to Web site "hits," for purpose of improving your firm's bottom line. Data mining is about answering questions such as:

Who are my most profitable customers? How do I optimize my inventory? How do I increase my market share? Who are my Website visitors? What clients are likely to defect to my rivals?

OLAP is Online Analytical Processing, a category of software tools that provides analysis of data stored in a database. The difference between OLAP and data mining is how they operate on the data. OLAP tools provide multidimensional data analysis where it allows data to be broken down and summarized. On the other hand, Data Mining is about ratios, patterns and influences in a data set.

WEB EXERCISES
Q1) Use a web search engine to find information on specific products for one of the following topics: Business Intelligence, objects oriented databases, or database as a service. Write a brief report describing what you found, including a description of the database products and the companies that develop them.

Database services After using a web search, I found a database service provider, Innotiive Asia (M) Sdn. Bhd. This company is using an Oracle Database Solutions and Services Consultant which specializing in helping companies optimize their investment in Oracle technology. Its consultants have helped both public and private sector as well as IT vendors, across the board using Oracle products on various hardware and operating systems. According to Innotiive Asia (M) Sdn Bhd, they are emphasizing on knowledge transfer through experience methodology and tools in delivering our services. At Innotiive Asia, clients are not only considered as their valued customers, but they also considered as their true partners. Client satisfaction is recognized as the critical asset that sets us apart. Database services offered by Innotiive Asia (M) Sdn Bhd are: a. Database Implementation b. Database Backup/Disaster Recovery c. Database upgrade and migration d. Database health check e. Database performance tuning f. Database reorganization

Case Studies Case Two

Discussion Questions
1. What challenges did ETAI face that made creating their catalog a three week ordeal? Challenges process of collating the data using a variety of programming language and platform requires 15 steps which could take two to three weeks and problem arise when ETAIs database administrator were to leave, his replacement would have a difficulty how the complicated system works.

2. How did the solution provided by Talend reduce the job time by 90 percent? The system design by Talend uses a single standard programming language to query the nine auto part databases and stream the result into one data warehouse. It then cleans the data and standardizes it for output catalog format. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What benefits were provided by the open source solution? The open source solution make the in house software engineer customize and adjust the software over time to accommodate the new needs in the system.
2. Why couldnt ETAI standardize the data formats in the nine databases?

ETAIL could not standardize the data formats in the nine databases as each database uses a unique design with different formats for parts numbers and varying amounts and type of fields for each past record.