MESSAGE
| DATE | 2014-09-07 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Do you have the magic answer
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So in the first week of grad school we are assigned this database book
which, IMO, is so poorly written that it is about worthless. So this is
two of the homework questions. Read my answers very carefully because
otherwise you might miss the entire point of this exercise
1.3. Discuss the main characteristics of the database approach and how
it differs from traditional file systems.
The database approach uses and abstraction layer of the database to
allow for flexible access of data without having to define detailed
storage information within applications. It centralized database access
and promotes use of the data among multiple users. A database approach
to data storage and usage functions to reduce redundancy, improve data
integrity, allows controlled access to multiple users and orchestrates
and facilitates limited and differing views of the data in the
miniworld. It integrates all the users of the database's miniworld into
a single coherent universe of related data. Philosophically, databases
might be evil and the root of much of the worlds problems as it mandate
conformity through autocratic rulemaking and centralizing information,
and now the databases even have their own tiggers, but such musing is
not covered in the textbook.
1.4. What are the responsibilities of the DBA and the database designers?
DBA's help construct databases, and install and maintain the DBMS
software and hardware as needed. They monitor the system and control
user access and permissions.
Database Designers create database designs, schemas and relationships to
data, hopefully to the needs of the miniworld of real people and
organizations for which their proposed database catalogs are supposed to
describe. They have also been known to sprinkle pixie dust all over
staff meetings and then disappear when you need them to explain exactly
what they proposed in the UML mockup when the database administrator is
trying to construct that which they think they designed.
1.5 What are the different types of database end users? Discuss
the main activities of each.
According to the text:
Stand Alone Users who have a moderate level of knowledge of the
backend and programming interface of a database system that they
use.
Causal End Users: Knowledgeable end users who use sophisticated
querying languages for occasional and very individualized views
and manipulation of the database. This would be a high level
personnel who has to access the database for an unforeseen
organizational purpose or some such. This would be, for example,
the type of person who deleted sections of the Nixon White House
Tapes prior to giving them to Congress.
Naive or Parametric Users: This is generally the core audience,
and the workers who daily use of the database in order to
perform an organizations mission. They use canned transactions.
Sophisticated End Users: These are personnel of unusual talent
who can often knowthe dbms as well as you do and might be doing
scientific research, business analysis, engineering et al.
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