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Short Description for Database approach


 

Database approach:
 
Techniques which have been developed in order to administer stored data
Motives:
  • Data integrity: Data “represents what it is supposed to represent”
            Various connotations of integrity:
  1. Correct (reasonable)
  2. Accurate (up to date)
  3. Consistent (doesn't contradict itself)
  • Data is a unique resource(IRM: Information Resource Management) :  “Information Resource Management”
  1. Big during the 1970:s and early 1980:s
  2. Organizations have different resources Personnel, capital, knowledge, machines, etc Data also a resource, but unique
  3. Huge organization-wide, centralized databases Techniques for data modelling
  4. e.g. Entity-Relationships (ER diagrams)

 

  • Often more flexible, convenient than a group of files Data Independence

 

  1. The ability to change the physical structure (storage structure) for a group of data without having to change the programs that access these data.
  2. If an application uses files (and not a database) a programmer would have to:
  • Change the way the data is defined in the program
  • Change the statements that read/write the data to files
  • But, neither of these have anything to do with the application logic of the program.

 

Task Discussion