COSC 2307: Database Programming Lecture 1: Introduction Kalpdrum Passi Fall 2004 ( )

Today u Course overview u What is a database? u Main Characteristics of Database Technology u Data Models u Schemas and Instances u DBMS Languages u Database System Utilities

Course overview u Website: u Instructor: » Kalpdrum Passi u Key dates: – Lectures: MWF 11:30AM-12:30AM in C-112 – Midterm1: Friday, October 1, 2004 – Midterm2: Monday, November 1, 2004

Course Overview (Continued) u Material: – Lecture notes – On website. – Textbook – J. Morrison, M. Morrison, Enhanced Guide to Oracle 9i, 2003, Thompson Learning. u Prerequisites: – Java – (COSC 1046) u Grading Policy – Home Works: 30% – Term Exam (2)30% – Surprise Quiz10% – Final Exam: 30% Give me a sign you learned the material.

Word of warning u I have a firm belief in you learn by doing. – You learn database concepts by implementing it! u Key Course Features – Most of the work comes from home works. – Exams will be based on your understanding of the concepts and home works; if you don’t do the home works you are likely to do poorly in your exams. – Home works will be checked for cheating. Any two home works found to be the same will be given zero and serious action can be taken. – Home works are individual assignments and not to be worked in groups. – You will learn a lot! You will have to work hard!

Basic Definitions u Database: A collection of related data. u Data: Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning. u Mini-world: Some part of the real world about which data is stored in a database. – For example, consider student names, student grades and transcripts at a university.

Basic Definitions (cont.) Database Management System (DBMS): A software package/ system to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a computerized database. It – defines (data types, structures, constraints) – construct DBMS (storing data on some storage medium controlled by DBMS) – manipulate (querying, update, report generation) databases for various applications. Database System: The DBMS software together with the data itself. Sometimes, the applications are also included.

Example of a Database u Mini-world for the example: Part of a UNIVERSITY environment. u Some mini-world entities (Data elements): – STUDENTs – COURSEs – SECTIONs (of COURSEs) – (academic) DEPARTMENTs – INSTRUCTORs u Some mini-world relationships: – SECTIONs are of specific COURSEs – STUDENTs take SECTIONs – COURSEs have prerequisite COURSEs – INSTRUCTORs teach SECTIONs – COURSEs are offered by DEPARTMENTs – STUDENTs major in DEPARTMENTs

A simplified database system environment

An Example database that stores student records

File Processing and DBMS File Systems : – Store data over long periods of time – Store large amount of data However : – No guarantee that data is not lost if not backed up – No support to query languages – No efficient access to data items unless the location is known – Data definition is typically part of application programs – hence these programs are constrained to work with only one specific database. – Change to data definition will affect the application programs – Single view of the data – Separate files for each application – Limited control to multiple accesses – Data viewed as physically stored

Main Characteristics of Database Technology u Self-describing nature of a database system: A DBMS catalog stores the description (structure, type & storage format of each data item and constraints on data) of the database. – The description is called meta-data. – This allows the DBMS software to work equally well with different database applications as long as the database definition is stored in the catalog. u Insulation between programs and data: Called program-data independence. – Allows changing data storage structures and operations without having to change the DBMS access programs. u Data Abstraction: A data model is used to hide storage details and present the users with a conceptual view of the database; does not include how data is stored and how the operations are implemented.

Main Characteristics of Database Technology (cont.) u A database user is not concerned with the location of a data item, rather with the reference to the data item Internal storage format for a student record

Main Characteristics of Database Technology (cont.) u Support of multiple views of the data: Each user may see a different view of the database, which describes only the data of interest to that user. u Sharing of Data and Multiuser Transaction Processing: A multiuser DBMS allows multiple users to access the database at the same time and ensures that concurrent transactions operate correctly. – These types of applications are called On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP).

Main Characteristics of Database Technology (cont.) Two views derived from the example database shown in Figure 1.2 (a) The student transcript view. (b) The course prerequisite view

Main Characteristics of Database Technology (cont.) u Actors on the Scene u DBA – Database Administrator – Responsible for authorizing access to the database, coordinating, monitoring its use, acquiring hardware, software needed. u Database designers – Responsible for identifying the data to be stored, storage structure to represent and store data. This is done by a team of professionals in consultation with users, and applications needed. u End Users

Data Models Data Model: A set of concepts to describe the structure (data types, relationships) of a database, and certain constraints that the database should obey. Data Model Operations: Operations for specifying database retrievals and updates by referring to the concepts of the data model.

Data Models (Categories) u Conceptual (high-level, semantic) data models: Provide concepts that are close to the way many users perceive data. (Also called entity-based or object-based data models.) u Physical (low-level, internal) data models: Provide concepts that describe details of how data is stored in the computer. u Implementation (record-oriented) data models: Provide concepts that fall between the above two, balancing user views with some computer storage details.

Data Models (History) u Relational Model: proposed in 1970 by E.F. Codd (IBM), first commercial system in Now in several commercial products (ORACLE, SYBASE, INFORMIX, INGRES). u Network Model: the first one to be implemented by Honeywell in (IDS System). – Adopted heavily due to the support by CODASYL (CODASYL - DBTG report of 1971) – Later implemented in a large variety of systems - IDMS (Cullinet - now CA), DMS 1100 (Unisys), IMAGE (H.P.), VAX -DBMS (Digital). u Hierarchical Data Model : implemented in a joint effort by IBM and North American Rockwell around Resulted in the IMS family of systems. The most popular model. – Other system based on this model: System 2k (SAS inc.)

Data Models (History) u Object-oriented Data Model(s) : several models have been proposed for implementing in a database system. – One set comprises models of persistent O-O Programming Languages such as C++ (e.g., in OBJECTSTORE or VERSANT), and Smalltalk (e.g., in GEMSTONE). – Additionally, systems like O2, ORION (at MCC - then ITASCA), IRIS (at H.P.- used in Open OODB). u Object-Relational Models : Most Recent Trend. Exemplified in ILLUSTRA and UNiSQL systems

Schemas versus Instances u Database Schema: The description of a database. Includes descriptions of the database structure and the constraints that should hold on the database. u Schema Diagram: A diagrammatic display of (some aspects of) a database Schema (next slide) u Database Instance: The actual data stored in a database at a particular moment in time. Also called database state (or occurrence). u The database schema changes very infrequently. The database state changes every time the database is updated. Schema is also called intension, whereas state is called extension. u Schema Evolution: changes applied to a schema.

Schemas versus Instances (cont.) Schema Diagram for Student Database

DBMS Languages u Data Definition Language (DDL): Used by the DBA and database designers to specify the conceptual schema of a database. u In many DBMSs, the DDL is also used to define internal and external schemas (views). In some DBMSs, separate storage definition language (SDL) and view definition language (VDL) are used to define internal and external schemas. u Data Manipulation Language (DML): Used to manipulate the database - includes retrieval, insertion, deletion and updates. u In current DBMS, a comprehensive integrated language is used that includes constructs for conceptual schema definition, view definition and data manipulation – e.g. SQL represents a combination of DDL, VDL, and DML, statements for constraint specification and schema evolution

DBMS Languages (cont.) u DML commands (data sublanguage) can be embedded in a general-purpose programming language (host language), such as Java, COBOL, PL/1 or PASCAL. u Alternatively, stand-alone DML commands can be applied directly (query language).

DBMS Languages (cont.) u Two types of DML: u High Level or non-Procedural DML – Describes what data to be retrieved rather than how to retrieve. – Process many records in a single DML statement (set-at-a-time or set-oriented) – SQL – Declarative languages u Low Level or Procedural DML – It needs constructs for both, what to retrieve and how to retrieve – Embedded in a general-purpose programming language. – Retrieves individual records or objects from the database and processes each separately. – Uses looping construct in programming languages to retrieve and process each record (record-at-a-time).

Database System Utilities u To perform certain functions such as: – Loading data stored in files into a database. – Backing up the database periodically on tape. – Reorganizing database file structures. – Report generation utilities. – Performance monitoring utilities. – Other functions, such as sorting, user monitoring, data compression, etc. u Data dictionary / repository: – Used to store schema descriptions and other information such as design decisions, application program descriptions, user information, usage standards, etc. – Active data dictionary is accessed by DBMS software and users/DBA. – Passive data dictionary is accessed by users/DBA only.