Database Reference
In-Depth Information
region do purchase different goods and services from different regions of the same
company. Each region generates data about the customers in that region.
Regional units may specialize in distinct types of products and services. If so,
product data would also be part of global information. Each region produces data
about the products and services created in that region. A specific product made in
one region may be sold to customers in a second region. The second region must,
therefore, be able to share data about that product with the first region.
Sharing of global information forms the major part of information sharing across
geographic regions. The categorization of information into global and local depends
on the organizational setup and business conditions of each organization. The type
of data considered to be global information in one company may be deemed to be
local information elsewhere. Nevertheless, in each company the types of data reck-
oned as global information in that company get to be shared by users across geo-
graphic regions.
DB System as Enabler
Let us recall the definition of a database system.
A database is an ordered collection of related data elements intended to meet the infor-
mation needs of an organization and designed to be shared by multiple users.
As an ordered collection of related data elements meeting the information needs
of an organization, the database system enables information to be shared among
groups of users. The following points amplify the role of the database system in
information sharing.
Common Data Pool. The database provides a common storage pool to keep all
of an organization's data. When the database is centralized, all data are kept in one
location. Even a distributed database is a still a common set of the organization's
data conveniently placed at different sites.
Integrated Data. Before data are placed in a database, redundancies and duplica-
tions are removed. Integration of data prevents inconsistencies from creeping into
the database. When user groups share integrated data, they work with one set of
data and present unified and consistent information to customers.
Uniform Access. Database systems promote uniform applications that
standardize methods of data access and usage. With standard data access methods,
users find it easier to get information from processes other than their own. Uniform
data access reduces user training.
Simplified Sharing. In file-oriented systems, information sharing proved to be
extremely difficult. Users had to contend with disparate data formats, variations in
computing platforms, and differences in file access methods. Database systems have
simplified information sharing to a very large degree.
Figure 3-7 depicts the facets of information sharing in an organization and clearly
presents the role of the database system enabling information sharing.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search