Database Reference
In-Depth Information
pectsshouldbediscarded.Youcanmakethesejudgmentsbyansweringthefollowingques-
tions:
What types of data does the organization use?
How does the organization use that data?
How does the organization manage and maintain that data?
The answers to these questions provide you with vital information that you can use to
design a database that best suits your organization's needs.
You can best answer these questions by analyzing your organization's existing database.
It's very likely that the organization is using some type of database, and it can probably be
associated with one of the following categories.
•
Paper-based databases
—also known as
file systems
—typically consist of various
forms and handwritten or printed documents stored in file folders or bound in note-
books. The folders and notebooks are identified by some coding scheme (e.g.,
unique numbers or colored tabs) and stored in file cabinets. These cabinets are
likely to be identified by some coding scheme as well, depending on the size of the
database.
•
Legacy databases
have been in existence and in use for several years or more and
consist of various types of data structures and user interfaces that all reside on
mainframe computers, network servers, or personal computers. The capability,
functionality, and effectiveness of the structures and screens are quite dependent
upon the skills and knowledge of the developers, the application development
tools, and the database management software used to create them.
•
Human-knowledge bases
(loosely defined) are based on the memory of one or
more employees within an organization. These individuals have a specific amount
of knowledge regarding a given aspect of the organization (e.g., customer informa-
tion or product details), and they are crucial to conducting the organization's busi-
ness.
Thegoalsofyouranalysisaretodeterminethetypesofdatatheorganizationuses,howthe
organizationmanagesandmaintainsthatdata,andhowtheorganizationviewsandusesthe
data. You can reduce the time it takes to define the preliminary field and table structures
for the new database if you conduct this investigation properly.
During the analysis, you review the various ways the organization collects and presents its
data, and you conduct a set of interviews with users and management. You then use the in-
formation you've gathered to define a Preliminary Field List and to help you determine the
tables that should be included in the initial database structure. If your analysis reveals that
the current database is poorly designed, you can take precautions to ensure that you don't
