MGT 300 - Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7 - Storing Organizational Information
What Is INFORMATION ?
~ Information is everywhere in an organization
~ Information is stored in databases
- Database - maintains information about various types of objects (inventory), events (transaction), people (employees), and places (warehouses)
~ Database models include :
- Hierarchical database model - information is organized into a tree-like structure (using parent/child relationship) in such a way that it cannot have too many relationships
- Network database model - a flexible way of representing objects and their relationships
- Relational database model - stores information in form of logically related two-dimensional tables
~ Entity - a person, place, thing, transaction, or event about which information is stored
- The rows in each table contain the entities
~ Attributes (fields, columns) - characteristics or properties of an entity class
The columns in each table contain the attributes
~Primary keys and foreign keys identify the various entity classes (tables) in the database
- Primary key - a field (or group of fields) that uniquely identifies a given entity in a table
- Foreign key - a primary key of one table that appears an attribute in another table and acts to provide a logical relationship among the two tables
RELATIONAL DATABASE ADVANTAGES
~ Database advantages from a business perspective include
- Increased flexibility
- Increased scalability and performance
- Reduced information redundancy
- Increase information integrity (quality)
- Increased information security
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
~ A well-designed database should :
- Handle changes quickly and easily
- Provide users with different views
- Have only one physical view - physical view (deals with the physical storage of information on a storage device)
- Have multiple logical views - Logical view (focuses on how users logically access information)
INCREASED SCALABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
~ A database must scale to meet increased demand, while maintaining acceptable performance levels
- Scalability - refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands
- Performance - measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transaction
REDUCED INFORMATION REDUNDANCY
~ Databases reduce information redundancy
- Redundancy - the duplication of information or information or staring the same information in multiple places
~ Inconsistency is one of the primary problems with redundant information
INCREASE INFORMATION INTEGRITY (QUALITY)
~ Information integrity - measures the quality of information
~ Integrity constraint - rules that help ensure the quality of information
- Relational integrity constraint
- Business-critical integrity constraint
INCREASED INFORMATION SECURITY
~ Information is an organizational asset and must be protected
~ Database offer several security features including :
- Password - provide authentication of the user
- Access level - determines who has access to the different types of information
- Access control - determines types of user access, such as read-only access
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
~ Database management systems (DBMS) - software through which users and application programs interact with a database
DATA-DRIVEN WEB SITES
~ Data-driven web sites - an interactive web site kept constantly updated and relevant to the needs of its customers through the use of a database
DATA-DRIVEN WEB SITE BUSINESS ADVANTAGES
- Development
- Content Management
- Future expandability
- Minimizing Human Error
- Cutting Production and Update Costs
- More Efficient
- Improved Stability
DATA-DRIVEN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
BI in a data-driven Web site
INTEGRATING INFORMATION AMONG MULTIPLE DATABASES
~ Integration - allows separate systems to communicate directly with each other
- Forward Integration - takes information entered into a given system and sends it automatically to all downstream systems and processes
- Backward Integration - takes information entered into a give system and sends it automatically to all upstream systems and processes
Forward integration
Backward integration
Building a central repository specifically for integrated information
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