Database Reference
In-Depth Information
making strategic decisions. They enable users to get answers to requests such as:
“Show me the top-selling products,” “Show me the problem regions,” “Tell me why,”
“Let me see other related data,” “Show me the highest margins,” and “Alert me
when a region sells below targets.” Examples of informational systems include mar-
keting management information systems, credit analysis, credit card fraud detection,
profitability analysis, and market share analysis.
The database environment supports operational and informational systems with
appropriate data. Users at different responsibility levels use these systems for per-
forming their business processes.
•
Operational level users perform all their processes with operational systems.
•
Supervisory level users mostly make use of summary information provided by
operational systems. Occasionally, informational systems supply some infor-
mation to supervisory users.
•
Executive level users almost totally rely on informational systems. Usually,
informational systems are fed by separate databases especially designed for
analysis.
INFORMATION SHARING
We have already seen that information sharing is one of the major advantages of
database systems. Sharing takes place among the various groups of users. In earlier
days of computing, each user group within an organization created its own files and
no other group could share the information contained in those files. The reason for
this is obvious. File-oriented systems were developed and built to serve individual
departments. An order entry system was implemented to support only the processes
of the order entry department. Even though the files created in the order entry
system contained order data that could be of use to the marketing department, data
about the orders could not be shared. All of this changed with the introduction of
database systems. The organization's database stores the data created by all depart-
ments in an orderly and combined fashion.
In a database system, all of the enterprise data is in one place. People in the
organization need not go to different storage areas or files to get information.
Applications developed in a database environment center on the database. Each
department has equal access to the database. This ability to share information has
brought about a shift in the very thinking of the people in the different departments.
Database systems have altered ideas about ownership of data. Order entry depart-
ments no longer consider data about customer orders to be their exclusive prop-
erty. Now, data entered into organization's database by any department becomes
available to all departments. Figure 3-5 illustrates information sharing in a database
environment.
Why Share Information?
Go back to the order entry example. Orders come into the order entry department.
While processing an order, that department verifies customer credit, checks stock,
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