SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DATABASE ENVIRONMENT - Database Design and Development: An Essential Guide for IT Professionals - page 77

Global Information In the example of local invoicing considered above, product
information comprises product codes, product descriptions, stock keeping units, unit
prices, and any standard discounts. Whether a company's product is supplied to
a French customer or a Chinese customer, the product code, description, stock
keeping unit, and unit price are usually the same. These pieces of information are
not specific to individual regions, but they apply to all users globally throughout the
company. This is global information.
Global information includes pieces of information common to all users in all geo-
graphic regions. In a company with international customers, customer information
may be both global and local. Global information includes information about all
international customers who buy from many geographic locations of the company.
Information about local customers is part of the local information for that region.
In an airline company, international flight schedules are part of global information.
In an international bank, money transfer methods are part of global information. In
a worldwide fast-food franchise, the ingredients in the proprietary recipe are global
information.
In companies with users in multiple geographic regions, the organization's data-
base environment provides both local and global information to the users for per-
forming their business processes.
Providing Information
You have noted that an organization's database environment provides information
to users at different levels of responsibilities, in various functional divisions, and at
many geographic regions. It seems that the database supplies to a very wide user
base. This is true. When you consider the users grouped by the three major cate-
gories, there must be a vast collection of information in the organization's database.
How does the database enable each segment of users to perform its processes? How
is the information provided?
Whether the users are part of different functional divisions or operate in multi-
ple geographic regions, they are basically operational, supervisory, or executive
users. Therefore, if we consider how the database caters to the needs of the users
categorized by user levels, we will cover the needs of all users. We can do so by
examining the types of computer applications used by the users at the different
responsibility levels. Broadly, we can classify computer systems into operational and
informational systems.
Operational Systems. These systems make the wheels of business turn. Such
systems are used to run day-to-day operations of the company. They support the
basic business processes such as taking an order, processing a claim, making a ship-
ment, generating an invoice, receiving cash, or reserving an airline seat. Examples
of operational systems are the checking account system in a bank, the factory shop-
floor system in a manufacturing business, the reservation system in an airline
company, the credit-checking system in a credit bureau, and the sales system in a
retail grocery chain.
Informational Systems. These systems let the users watch the wheels of business
turn. Such systems are used for analyzing the results of the operations and for