Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
be managed as any corporate resource would be. Data and database administration
promote the sharing of data as a corporate resource, efficiency in job specialization
related to data functions, efficiency in the operational management of data, and
competence in such related issues as the management of externally acquired
databases and the management of data in decentralized environments.
Data administration is the corporate function that is responsible for
data
coordination
, data planning, data standards, liaison to systems analysts and pro-
grammers, training,
arbitration
of disputes and usage authorization, documentation
and publicity, and the promotion of data's competitive advantage. Database admin-
istration is the corporate function responsible for DBMS performance monitoring,
DBMS troubleshooting, DBMS usage and
security monitoring
, data dictionary
operations, DBMS data and software maintenance, and database design.
Data dictionaries are databases that store metadata or ''data about data.'' They
can be active or passive. Important implementations of the metadata concept include
relational DBMS catalogs and data repositories.
KEY TERMS
Active data dictionary
Arbitration
Data administration
Data analyst
Data coordination
Data dictionary
Data ownership
Data planning
Data repository
Data standards
Database administration
Decentralized environment
Documentation
Job specialization
Metadata
Passive data dictionary
Performance monitoring
Relational catalog
Security monitoring
Troubleshooting
Usage monitoring
QUESTIONS
1. What is data administration?
2. What is database administration?
3. What are the advantages of having data administra-
tion and database administration departments?
4. Explain and defend the following statement: Data is
a corporate resource and should be managed in the
same manner in which other corporate resources are
managed.
5. Why is it important in terms of efficiency in job spe-
cialization to have data and database administration
specialists?
6. What is the importance in terms of externally
acquired databases of data and database adminis-
tration?
7. Defend the following statement: Data and database
administration are even more important in the
decentralized IS environment than in the centralized
one.
8. List and briefly explain five major responsibilities
of data administration.
9. Why is it important that data administrators perform
a data coordination role?
10. What kinds of planning do data administrators have
to do regarding data?
11. Defend or refute the following statement: Current
IS technologies and practices make having data
standards more important than ever before.
12. In general, what are data administration's responsi-
bilities to the professional and managerial employ-
ees of the company? Concentrate on training, pub-
licity, and liaison tasks.
13. Why might data administration have to serve as the
arbitrator of disputes?
14. List and briefly explain five major responsibilities
of database administration.
15. Discuss database administration's role in perfor-
mance monitoring and troubleshooting.
16. How do database administration's responsibilities to
the data dictionary differ from data administration's?
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