Chapter 1 Flashcards
Database Management System (DBMS)
General-purpose software system that facilitates the processes of defining, creating, using, and maintaining databases
Database
-An organized collection of logically related data
Designed to provide information to organization
Includes data and metadata:
data - the actual values of interest
metadata - descriptions of the characteristics of the stored data
What is the most important corporate resource and difficult to manage.
Data
Data can provide a competitive advantage
Example: FedEx was the first to provide access to package tracking data on its Web site
Uses of DBMS
Allows organizations to:
- Easily access data
- Handle great quantities of data
- Share data while maintaining minimal data -redundancy (unwanted duplicate data)
- Handle needs for data security, privacy, backup, and recovery
Data Accuracy
Involves ensuring accurate and correct data
Data Security
Processes and procedures implemented with the goal of keeping organizational data safe
Access Security
Involves controlling user and application access to data, usually through one or more authentication methods:
What you know (e.g., password)
What you have (e.g., access card)
What you are (e.g., fingerprint (biometric method))
Physical Security
Involves protecting data against physical corruption or loss (e.g., from hardware failure or natural disaster)
Data Organization
Forces structure on data
Helps reduce the amount of physical space required to store data
Helps minimize the time required to locate and retrieve data
Data standards
ensure that the right amount of data is entered in the correct way for every instance of all data objects
E.g., Social Security Number: 999-99-9999
Data Access
Data queries can retrieve data, insert new data, manipulate existing data, or delete data
