Databases

Topic 1:
Introduction to the Module and Database
Fundamentals

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Scope and Coverage

This topic will cover:
An outline of the module.
Some introductory topics
What are databases?
Examples of databases in use
Data and information

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Learning Outcomes
By the end of this topic, students will be able to:
Give a definition of what a database is
Give examples of databases in use
Distinguish between data and information

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List of Topics
1 Introduction to the module and database fundamentals
2 Databases and Database Management Systems (DBMS)
3 Entity Relationship (ER) Modelling (1)
4 Entity Relationship (ER) Modelling (2)
5 The relational model (1)
6 The relational model (2)
7 SQL (1)
8 SQL (2)
9 Database Design
10 Supporting transactions
11 Database implementation
12 Summary

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Pedagogic Approach
Lectures - 2 hours
Tutorials - 1 hour
Workshops - Beginning with 1 hour and then
moving to 2 hours
Private study - approximately 7 hours

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Assessment
Examination 75%
Assignment 25%

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The Importance of Databases

Relatively new technology beginning properly in
1970s
One of the most important components of
Information Technology
Databases are everywhere

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Student Activity - Brainstorm

What databases hold information about you?
What databases have you interacted with?
Take a few minutes to think about this and write
down your answers

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.9

Examples of Use
Supermarket checkout
Purchasing using a credit card
Booking a holiday
Using a library
Taking out insurance
Obtaining a passport or other official document
Using the Internet
Studying at college or university

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.10

Health Insurance - 1
Personal Data Type of Holiday
Health Where? How long?
Age Type of Activities.

Personal
Data

Type of Insurance
Required?

Insurance
Data

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Health Insurance - 2
To match a person to the right insurance policy:
Collate the relevant data about the person
Store this data somewhere
Match the data to data about types of insurance
If searching from more than one company, then this
might be on multiple databases
Matching people to insurance might use an Expert
System.

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What is a database?
A database is a computerised record keeping
system

Date, C.J. (2003). An Introduction to

Database Systems 8th Edition. Pearson
Education

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Record Keeping Systems

File system on a computer
Word document
Excel Spreadsheet
Access database
Manual card index file
Files on a USB stick

Are these all databases?

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Database Functions
Databases should be able to:
Store
Manipulate
Retrieve

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Database Size - 1
Databases range in size:
Single user databases on a PC
Small office database with everyone doing the
same sorts of tasks
Medium size database system with core data but
people doing different tasks
Corporate databases spread over many sites
Very large databases and data-warehouses

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.16

Database Size - 2
They can be very large:
The Wal-Mart data warehouse was (as of 2004)
about 500 tera-bytes in size
To put this into perspective: 1 tera-byte, if it was just
holding text, would be able to hold over 200 million
pages of text!

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.17

But databases arent like buckets!

Database systems are not
just a mass of data
It isnt just about what they
can hold
They are organised
So we need a more precise
definition

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More Detailed Definition

We define a database as an organised collection
of logically related data.

Hoffer,J., Ramesh, V. and Toppi, H. (2010). Modern

Database Management, 10th Edition. Pearson
Prentice Hall.

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What does this mean?

Organised
Logically related
Data

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Organised
Data is structured so as to be easily stored,
manipulated and retrieved by users.
It is no good just having some data if we dont
know how to get it in order to look at it and use it.

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.21

Related
Pieces of data do not exist in isolation
For example:
In a salespersons database, it is natural for the
customers name and the customers address to be
stored together
They are related
Together, with other data about the customer, they
are part of a meaningful set

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Student Activity: What is data?

What qualities about you might be of interest to:
College or university
Social networking site

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Types of Data 1: Traditional

Text such as names, address etc.
Numbers such as: how many children.
Dates such as a date of birth

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Types of Data 2: Multi-media

Images
Sounds
Video
Scans of documents

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Data and Information

Traditionally there has been a distinction made
between data and information
Data are raw facts
Baker, Kenneth 19.01.80 98778373
Bagum, Ammena 01.02.81 97327627
Ako, Sarah 08.08.81 98737373
Finkle, Clive 09.09.81 93838383
Mc Farren, Debra 01.01.80 98383837
Sinseros, Douglas 27.05.80 99344222

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Information
Data that has been processed and given meaning

Class list for Databases Module

Autumn Semester 2010
Student Name Student ID Date of Birth
Kenneth Baker 98778373 19th Jan 1980
Ammena Bagum 97327627 1st Feb 1981
Sarah Ako 98737373 8th Aug 1981
Clive Finkle 93838383 9th Sep 1981
Debra McFarren 98383837 1st Jan 1981
Douglas Sinseros 99344222 27th May 1980

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Information is Important
Economically
Politically
Personally

Databases are the key to information

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Recap of Learning Outcomes

By the end of this topic, students will be able to:
Give a definition of what a database is
Give examples of databases in use
Distinguish between data and information

Have we met them?

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 Introduction to the Module and Database Fundamentals Topic 1 - 1.29

References
Chapter 1 of Connolly, T and Begg, C (2009). Database
Systems: A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation and
Management 5th Edition. Addison Wesley
Chapter 1 of Date, C.J. (2003). An Introduction to Database
Systems 8th Edition. Pearson Education
Chapter 1 of Hoffer,J., Ramesh, V. and Toppi, H. (2010).
Modern Database Management, 10th Edition. Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Schuman, E. (2004). At WalMart, Worlds Largest Retail Data
Warehouse Gets Even Bigger. E-week.com 13/10/2004
[Available Online]
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/At-WalMar
t-Worlds-Largest-Retail-Data-Warehouse-Gets-Even-Larger/

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Topic 1 Introduction to the Module and

Database Fundamentals

Any Questions?

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