LOVELITA D.

DE RAMOS

IT 003- Advanced Systems Analysis and Design

Activity 3
1.Explain the main differences between a file processing system and a database system.
A file system is what your operating system in your computer has for storing and
organizing the data in files and folders. There are many different file systems supported my
many different operating systems. It is just an abstraction for managing data at the operating
system level.
A database on the contrary, is used for storing data in a structured way, and it
almost always goes hand in hand with a database management system. And that's the point,
actually, because having your data structured in a certain way you can take advantage of the
database systems capabilities for storing and retrieving data.
The DBMS (database management system) provides facilities and abstractions for
creating the database (defining its structure), inserting the data, retrieving the data, deleting and
updating. For example, the standard (relational) database language is SQL, with which you can
write queries that ask, for example, all the employees who have above a certain salary, or the
outstanding customer orders, etc.
So, a file system comes out of the box with your operating system, you don't even
need to know it exists or what it is (at least as an end user, but in most cases as a technical one,
as well), you are using it everyday, while a database management system is a special
sophisticated application for storing data in a certain format and structure, and you need to be
relatively technical to use one efficiently.

The difference between file processing system and database management system is as follow:
1. A file processing system is a collection of programs that store and manage files in
computer hard-disk. On the other hand, A database management system is collection of
programs that enables to create and maintain a database.
2. File processing system has more data redundancy, less data redundancy in dbms.
3. File processing system provides less flexibility in accessing data, whereas dbms has
more flexibility in accessing data.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

4. File processing system does not provide data consistency, whereas dbms provides data
consistency through normalization.
5. File processing system is less complex, whereas dbms is more complex.
6. A database management system coordinates both the physical and the logical access to
the data, whereas a file-processing system coordinates only the physical access.
7. A database management system is designed to allow flexible access to data (i.e. queries),
whereas a file-processing system is designed to allow predetermined access to data (i.e.
compiled programs).
8. A database management system is designed to coordinate multiple users accessing the
same data at the same time. A file-processing system is usually designed to allow one or
more programs to access different data files at the same time. In a file-processing system,
a file can be accessed by two programs concurrently only if both programs have read-
only access to the file.
9. Redundancy is control in DBMS, but not in file system.
10. Unauthorized access is restricted in DBMS but not in the file system.
11. DBMS provide back up and recovery whereas data lost in file system can't be recovered.
12. DBMS provide multiple user interfaces. Data is isolated in file system.

2. What is a DBMS? Briefly describe the components of a DBMS.

Database Management System (also known as DBMS) is a software for storing and
retrieving users' data by considering appropriate security measures. It allows users to create their
own databases as per their requirement.

It consists of a group of programs which manipulate the database and provide an interface
between the database. It includes the user of the database and other application programs.

The DBMS accepts the request for data from an application and instructs the operating
system to provide the specific data. In large systems, a DBMS helps users and other third-party
software to store and retrieve data.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

A database management system (DBMS) is a software package designed to define,

manipulate, retrieve and manage data in a database. A DBMS generally manipulates the data itself,
the data format, field names, record structure and file structure. It also defines rules to validate and
manipulate this data.
A DBMS relieves users of framing programs for data maintenance. Fourth-generation
query languages, such as SQL, are used along with the DBMS package to interact with a database.
Some other DBMS examples include:

 MySQL
 SQL Server
 Oracle
 dBASE
 FoxPro
 A database management system receives instruction from a database administrator
(DBA) and accordingly instructs the system to make the necessary changes. These
commands can be to load, retrieve or modify existing data from the system.
 A DBMS always provides data independence. Any change in storage mechanism and
formats are performed without modifying the entire application.
The database management system can be divided into five major components, they are:

 Hardware
 Software
 Data
 Procedures
 Database Access Language
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

DBMS Components: Hardware

When we say Hardware, we mean computer, hard disks, I/O channels for data, and any other
physical component involved before any data is successfully stored into the memory.

DBMS Components: Software

This is the main component, as this is the program which controls everything. The DBMS
software is more like a wrapper around the physical database, which provides us with an easy-to-
use interface to store, access and update data.
The DBMS software is capable of understanding the Database Access Language and intrepret it
into actual database commands to execute them on the DB.

DBMS Components: Procedures

Procedures refer to general instructions to use a database management system. This includes
procedures to setup and install a DBMS, To login and logout of DBMS software, to manage
databases, to take backups, generating reports etc.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

DBMS Components: Database Access Language

Database Access Language is a simple language designed to write commands to access, insert,
update and delete data stored in any database.
A user can write commands in the Database Access Language and submit it to the DBMS for
execution, which is then translated and executed by the DBMS.
User can create new databases, tables, insert data, fetch stored data, update data and delete the
data using the access language.

DBMS Components: Data

Data is that resource, for which DBMS was designed. The motive behind the creation of DBMS
was to store and utilise data.
In a typical Database, the user saved Data is present and meta data is stored.
Metadata is data about the data. This is information stored by the DBMS to better understand
the data stored in it.
For example: When I store my Name in a database, the DBMS will store when the name was
stored in the database, what is the size of the name, is it stored as related data to some other data,
or is it independent, all this information is metadata.

3. Describe a primary key, candidate key, secondary key, foreign key, and common field.
A DBMS key is an attribute or set of an attribute which helps you to identify a row(tuple)
in a relation(table). They allow you to find the relation between two tables. Keys help you
uniquely identify a row in a table by a combination of one or more columns in that table.

A column or group of columns in a table which helps us to uniquely identifies every row
in that table is called a primary key. This DBMS can't be a duplicate. The same value can't
appear more than once in the table.
Rules for defining Primary key:

 Two rows can't have the same primary key value

 It must for every row to have a primary key value.
 The primary key field cannot be null.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

 The value in a primary key column can never be modified or updated if any foreign key
refers to that primary key.

A super key with no repeated attribute is called candidate key.

The Primary key should be selected from the candidate keys. Every table must have at least a
single candidate key.

Properties of Candidate key:

 It must contain unique values

 Candidate key may have multiple attributes
 Must not contain null values
 It should contain minimum fields to ensure uniqueness
 Uniquely identify each record in a table
A secondary key is made on a field that you would like to be indexed for faster searches. A table
can have more than one secondary key
A foreign key is a column which is added to create a relationship with another table. Foreign
keys help us to maintain data integrity and also allows navigation between two different
instances of an entity. Every relationship in the model needs to be supported by a foreign key.
Data from several different tables is related through the use of common fields. A common field
is a field existing in two or more tables, allowing you to match records from one table with
records in the other tables.

4. What are entity-relationship diagrams and how are they used? What symbol is used
to represent an entity in an ERD? What symbol is used for a relationship? What is
cardinality, and what symbols do you use in the crow’s foot notation method?
An entity relationship model, also called an entity-relationship (ER) diagram, is a graphical
representation of entities and their relationships to each other, typically used in computing in
regard to the organization of data within databases or information systems. An entity is a piece of
data-an object or concept about which data is stored.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

Symbols used in ERD:

Entity:- Any real-world object can be represented as an entity about which data can be
stored in a database. An entity is symbolically represented by a rectangle enclosing its
name. Entities are represented by rectangle in an ERD.
Attribute:- Each entity has a set of properties. These properties of each entity are termed
as attributes.They are represented by oval.
Relationship. A relationship is defined as bond or attachment between 2 or more entities.
Normally, a verb in a sentence signifies a relationship. A diamond represent a relationship
in a ERD.

In DBMS you may hear cardinality term at two different places and it has two different meanings
as well.
In Context of Data Models:
In terms of data models, cardinality refers to the relationship between two tables. Cardinality
refers to the maximum number of times an instance in one entity can be associated with instances
in the related entity
One to One – A single row of first table associates with single row of second table. For example,
a relationship between person and passport table is one to one because a person can have only
one passport and a passport can be assigned to only one person.
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

One to Many – A single row of first table associates with more than one rows of second table.
For example, relationship between customer and order table is one to many because a customer
can place many orders but a order can be placed by a single customer alone.
Many to One – Many rows of first table associate with a single row of second table. For
example, relationship between student and university is many to one because a university can
have many students but a student can only study only in single university at a time.
Many to Many – Many rows of first table associate with many rows of second table. For
example, relationship between student and course table is many to many because a student can
take many courses at a time and a course can be assigned to many students.
Cardinality

Cardinality refers to the maximum number of times an instance in one entity can relate to
instances of another entity.

5. What are data warehousing and data mining? Are the terms related?
A Data Warehouse is an environment where essential data from multiple sources is stored under
a single schema. It is then used for reporting and analysis. Data Warehouse is a relational
database that is designed for query and analysis rather than for transaction processing. It usually
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

contains historical data derived from transaction data. While a Data Warehouse is built to
support management functions.
Data Mining is used to extract useful information and patterns from data. The data mining can be
carried with any traditional database, but since a data warehouse contains quality data, it is good
to have data mining over the data warehouse system. Data Mining supports knowledge discovery
by finding hidden patterns and associations, constructing analytical models, performing
classification and prediction.
Let us understand the Difference between Data Warehousing and Data Mining in detailed
Key Features:

1. Data Warehouse:
The key features of a Data Warehouse are discussed below:

1. Subject Oriented: A data warehouse is subject-oriented as it provides knowledge around

a subject rather than the organization’s ongoing operations. These subjects can be a
product, customers, suppliers, sales, revenue, etc. A data warehouse focuses on modeling
and analysis of data for decision making.
2. Integrated: A data warehouse is constructed by combining data from heterogeneous
sources such as relational databases, flat files, etc.
3. Time-Variant: The data present in the data warehouse provides information with respect
to a particular time period.
4. Non-volatile: Non-volatile means, data once entered into the warehouse should not
change.
Benefits of Data Warehouse:

1. Consistent and quality data

2. Cost reduction
3. More timely data access
4. Improved performance and productivity
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

Data Mining:
The key features of Data mining are discussed below:

1. Automatic discovery of patterns

2. Prediction of likely outcomes
3. Creation of actionable information
4. Focus on large data sets and databases
Benefits of data mining:

1. Direct marketing: The ability to predict who is most likely to be interested in what
products
2. Trend analysis: Understanding trends in the marketplace is a strategic advantage because
it helps reduce costs and timeliness to market.
3. Fraud detection: Data mining techniques can help discover which insurance claims,
cellular phone calls or credit card purchases are likely to be fraudulent.
4. Forecasting in financial markets: Data mining techniques are extensively used to help
model financial markets.

6. Are there ethical issues to consider when planning a database? For example, should
sensitive personal data (such as medical information) be stored in the same DBMS
that manages employee salary and benefits data? Why or why not?

 Keep computers and devices physically inaccessible to unauthorized users. Apply strong
passwords and usernames.
 Maintain strict business procedures, e.g., assign individuals specific roles that they should
be accountable for (e.g., backing up data, generating reports, verifying data integrity).
 Implement proper authorization to allow individuals the ability to see only the data that
they are authorized to access.
 Maintain a secure storage of sensitive data (e.g., use strong passwords, install firewalls,
intrusion prevention and intrusion detection systems).
LOVELITA D. DE RAMOS

 Properly authenticate users (i.e., make sure that a person is who he/she claims to be and is
not an impostor).
 Apply granular access control and determine how much data an authorized user should be
allowed to see. Isolate portions of the database to prevent “unlimited” access. For
example, while a user might be allowed access to his/her personal data, he/she must not
be allowed to view/access other user’s data.
 Maintain regular backups or data movement onto disk, tape, or stored at third-party sites
which are also secured and tracked. Encrypt backups to prevent unauthorized viewing or
access.
 Keep the backups current to enable recovery should the need arise.
 Train the personnel and make sure that everyone understands and has a grasp of both
desktop and cloud database security.
 Implement strict safety procedures for everyone to follow on a regular basis.

7. Suggest three typical business situations where referential integrity avoids data problems.

Referential integrity is a set of rules which maintain data consistency and quality. It helps in
validating the data and helps in avoiding any kind of input errors.

Three typical business situations where referential integrity avoids data problems would be
: Entering an order for a customer number that has yet to be entered into the system
 Assigning a book number to a library customer when the book has yet to entered to the
system
 Assigning an advisor to a student ID before the student has been entered into the system
 Order is not place in the order table unless the customer already exist in the customer
table.
 Assigning a customer to a salesperson when the salesperson doesn’t exist
 Payments to an account, if the account number changes, updates on the payment on that
account should be done as well