Chapter 16

Designing Distributed and Internet Systems

Chapter 12
Designing Distributed Systems
Application Program Interface (API)
Software building blocks that are used to ensure that common system capabilities, such as
user interfaces and printing, as well as modules are standardized to facilitate data exchange
between clients and servers.

Application Server
A computing server where data analysis functions primarily reside.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

A set of style rules that tells a Web browser how to present a document.

Client
The (front-end) portion of the client/server database system that provides the user interface
and data manipulation functions.

Client/Server Architecture
A LAN-based computing environment in which a central database server or engine performs
all database commands sent to it from client work stations, and application programs on each
client concentrate on user interface functions.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

A special type of software application for collecting, organizing, and publishing website
content.

Context Development
A method that helps analysts to better understand how a system fits within existing business
activities and data.

Customization
Internet sites that allow users to customize the content and look of the site based on their
personal preferences.

Data Mart
A data warehouse that is limited in scope; its data are obtained by selecting and (where
appropriate) summarizing data from the enterprise data warehouse.

Data Warehouse

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A subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, nonvolatile collection of data used in support of

management decision making.

Database Engine
The (back-end) portion of the client/server database system running on the server that
provides database processing and shared access functions.

Domain Naming System (BIND)

A method for translating Internet domain names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. BIND
stands for Berkeley Internet Name Domain.

Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW)

A centralized, integrated data warehouse that is the control point and single source of all data
made available to end users for decision support applications throughout the entire
organization.

File Server
A device that manages file operations and is shared by each client PC attached to a LAN.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

The standard language for representing content on the Web through the use of hundreds of
command tags.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

A communication protocol for exchanging information on the Internet.

Information Systems
Systems designed to support decision making based on stable point-in-time or historical data.

Integration Depth
A measurement of how far into the existing technology infrastructure a system penetrates.

Local Area Network (LAN)

The cabling, hardware, and software used to connect workstations, computer, and file servers
located in a confined geographical area (typically within one building or campus).

Middleware
A combination of hardware, software, and communication technologies that brings data
management, presentation, and analysis together into a three-tiered client/server environment.

Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)

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The use of graphical software tools that provide complex analysis of data stored in a
database.

Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)

The immediate automated responses to the request of users.

Operational Systems
Systems that are used to interact with customers and run a business in real time.

Organizational Breadth
A measurement that tracks the core business functions affected by a system.

Personalization
Providing Internet content to a user based upon knowledge of that customer.

Thin Client
A client device designed so that most processing and data storage occur on the server.

Three-Tiered Client/Server
Advanced client/server architectures in which there are three logical and distinct applicationsdata management, presentation, and analysis-that are combined to create a single information
system.

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

An Internet-authoring language that allows designers to create customized tags, enabling the
definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications.

Extensible Style Language (XSL)

A specification for separating style from content when generating HTML documents.

Answers to Review Questions

1. A file server is a device that manages file operations and is shared by each client PC that is
attached to a LAN. A client/server architecture is a LAN-based computing environment in which
a central database server or engine performs all database commands sent to it from client
workstations, and application programs on each client concentrate on user interface functions. A
local area network (LAN) refers to the cabling, hardware, and software used to connect
workstations, computers, and file servers located in a confined geographical area (typically
within one building or campus).
HTML is a standard language for representing Web content; HTTP is a communications protocol
for exchanging information on the Internet. BIND is a method for translating Internet domain
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names into IP addresses. HTML addresses formatting issues; HTTP addresses translation
issues, and BIND addresses standardized naming issues.
Cascading style sheets are a set of style rules that tells a Web browser how to present a
document. XSL is a specification for separating style from content when generating HTML
documents. XSL allows the designer to develop a standard look and feel for a Web page
without having to customize the page for individual devices.
Personalization provides Internet content to a visitor based on the Web sites knowledge about
that particular visitor. A Web site uses a customers profile to tailor a Web page to the
customers interests. Customization allows the customer to specify how he would like the Web
pages to look and what information he would like them to provide. For instance, he can specify
the Web pages content, layout, and colors.
Operational systems interact with customers and run a business in real time. In contrast,
informational systems support decision-making based on stable point-in-time or historical data.
In terms of context development, integration depth measures how far into the existing technology
infrastructure a system penetrates. In contrast, organizational breadth is a measurement that
tracks the core business functions affected by a system.
On-line transaction processing is the immediate automated responses to the requests of users.
On-line analytical processing is the use of graphical software tools that provide complex analysis
of data stored in a database. OLAP tools enable users to analyze different views of data.
A data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant nonvolatile collection of data
used in support of management decision making. In a two-level data warehouse architecture,
users access the data warehouse using a variety of query languages and analytical tools. An
enterprise data warehouse is a centralized, integrated data warehouse that is the control point and
single source of all data made available to end users for decision-support applications throughout
the entire organization. An enterprise data warehouse is used in a three-level data warehouse
architecture. Generally, end users do not directly access the enterprise data warehouse, since it is
often too large and complex. Instead end users will access data marts that contain information
derived from the enterprise data warehouse.
2. Excessive data movement, the need for powerful client workstations, and decentralized data
control are three limitations of a file server architecture. In a file server architecture, the server
does very little work, the client is busy with extensive data manipulation, and the network is
transferring large blocks of data. This means that a client-based LAN places a considerable
burden on the client PC to accomplish functions that have are performed on all clients and
creates a high network traffic load. Since each client workstation must devote memory to a full
version of the DBMS, there is less room on the client PC to rapidly manipulate data in highspeed random access memory (RAM). Often, data must be swapped between RAM and a
relatively slower hard disk when processing a particularly large database. Further, because the
client workstation does most of the work, each client must be powerful to provide a suitable
response time. File server-based architectures also benefit from having a very fast hard disk and
cache memory in both clients and the server to enhance their ability to transfer files to and from
the network, RAM, and hard disk. When using a shared DBMS, the DBMS copy in each
workstation must manage the shared database integrity. In addition, each application program
must recognize, for example, locks on data and take care to initiate the proper locks. A lock is
necessary to stop users from accessing data that are in the process of being updated. Thus,
application programmers must be rather sophisticated to understand various subtle conditions

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that can arise in a multiple user database environment. Programming is more complex since you
have to program each application with the proper concurrency, recovery, and security controls.
3. The advantages of a client/server architecture include: allowing companies to leverage the
benefits of microcomputer technology; allowing most processing to be performed close to the
source of processed data, thereby improving response times and reducing network traffic;
facilitating the use of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and visual presentation techniques
commonly available for workstations; and allowing for and encouraging the acceptance of open
systems.
4. The six possible approaches are distributed presentation, remote presentation, remote data
management, distributed function, distributed database, and distributed processing. Table 16-2
summarizes these approaches. The distributed presentation form of the client/server architecture
is used to freshen up the delivery of existing server-based applications to distributed clients.
Often the server is a mainframe, and the existing mainframe code is not changed. Without the
client presentation support, users must interact directly with mainframe programs, often using
character-based interfaces and with whatever response time the server supports. In this
client/server architecture, technologies called screen scrappers' work on the client machines to
simply reformat the same data handled by the server forms and reports. The remote presentation
style of client/server architecture places all data presentation functions on the client machine, so
that software on the client has total responsibility for formatting data. The remote data
management form of client/server architecture places all software on the client except for the
data management functions. The distributed function client/server architecture splits analysis
functions between the client and server, leaving all presentation on the client and all data
management on the server. The distributed database client/server architecture places all
functionality on the client, except data storage and management, which are divided between client
and server. The distributed processing client/server architecture combines the best features of
distributed function and distributed database by splitting both of these across client and server,
with presentation functions under the exclusive responsibility of the client machine.
5. Three primary reasons were mentioned in the textbook; these include: (1) applications can be
partitioned in a way that best fits the organizations computing needs; (2) making global changes
or customizing processes for individual users is relatively easy; (3) since data analysis and data
presentation are separate, either can be changed independently without affecting the other.
6. The function of middleware is to bring together distinct hardware, software, and communication
technologies in order to create a three-tiered client/server environment.
7. Standards make the design of Internet-based systems much simpler, removing much of the design
and implementation complexity. For instance, BIND enables the system to locate information
using common domain names and then translates these names into IP addresses. The HTTP
protocol specifies how messages are formatted and transmitted and how Web servers and
browsers respond to commands. HTML provides a standard language for formatting Web pages.
8. Many different platforms and devices necessitate the separation of content from display. The
capability to display content on any Internet capable device, regardless of its characteristics,
encourages the development of standards such as XSL, WML, WAP, and XML.
9. Cascading style sheets tell the browser, through a set of rules, how to present a document. If you
need to change a style element on the Web pages associated with a Web site, you only need to
update a single file, as opposed to all the Web pages. While XSL also allows you to use style
templates, it is a more sophisticated method for imposing style rules. XSL allows you to specify

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how to display a Web page and also the type of client device, enabling the designer to standardize
the appearance of a Web page across devices.
10. The textbook identifies six ways for conveying trustworthiness and encouraging customer
loyalty. These methods include design quality; up-front disclosure; comprehensive, correct, and
current content; connected to the rest of the Web; provides personalized content; and protects
customer data. A Web site should have a professional appearance and provide clear navigation
paths, provide information about the customer relationship, provide up-to-date information, link
to outside Web sites, and support personalization.
11. The primary reason that Web pages should live forever is that a company does not want to lose
its customers, especially because the customers cannot find the companys Web site. Also, other
sites establish hyperlinks to the companys Web site, and search engines may not reference the
most current link to the companys Web site. Additionally, customers may want to access old
information located at the company Web site.
12. Operational information systems interact with customers and run a business in real time.
Informational systems support decision-making based on stable point-in-time or historical data.
Operational information systems are important because they support the daily operating activities
of the business, such as order processing. Informational systems are important because they
support the decision-making activities of an organizations business analysts, managers, and
customers. Informational systems provide customers with access to their account balances,
provide a manager with information about the number of red sweaters that were sold in Kansas,
and help a manager forecast how many gallons of vanilla ice cream will be sold on July 4th.
13. In a two-tier data warehouse architecture, the primary components are the operational systems
and data and the data warehouse. With the two-level architecture, data are pulled from source
files and databases. Data are transformed, integrated, and then loaded into a data warehouse.
Users access the data in the data warehouse using query languages or analytical tools. In a
three-tier data warehouse architecture, the primary components are operational systems and data,
an enterprise warehouse, and data marts. Although the enterprise data warehouse is a
centralized, integrated repository, users typically do not have direct access to it. Instead, users
will access the data via a data mart, which is customized for a particular end user group.
14. In larger organizations, the data contained in a data warehouse is massive. A data mart selects
and summarizes data from the enterprise data warehouse. Data marts facilitate decision-making
and ease of use by customizing the view for a particular user group.

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