Database Reference
In-Depth Information
1960
2010
TIME
Figure 1-1
Technology growth and demand for information.
From the 1970s onward, two striking and remarkable phenomena were distinctly
observed. Refer to Figure 1-1 indicating these two major developments.
First, demand for information has escalated in every organization. Organizations
have steadily become global and widespread. Organizations have to contend with
fierce competitive pressures. They need vast and complex information to stay in
business and make a profit. Second, the past three decades have witnessed a huge,
explosive growth in information technology. Processors have become faster,
cheaper, and smaller. Operating systems have become powerful and robust. Data
storage media have expanded tremendously in capacity; data storage prices have
tumbled. Network and communication technology can now connect any remote site
without difficulty. Application programming and people-machine interface have
dramatically improved.
The escalating demand for information and the explosive growth in information
technology have worked hand in hand to bring about the evolution to database
systems. Ever-increasing demand for information drives the need for better methods
of storing and retrieving data, for faster ways of processing data, and for improved
methods of providing information. The demand for more and better information
drove the technology growth. Progress in technology, in turn, spurred the capabil-
ity to provide different types of information, not just to run day-to-day operations
of an organization, but also to make strategic decisions.
Let us first examine the pertinent aspects of the technology explosion as related
to data systems, because these are what we are specifically interested in. Then let
us discuss the escalating demand for information that has prompted better and
improved data systems.
Technology Explosion
If you have been in the information technology area for 5-10 years, you are cer-
tainly an eyewitness to the explosive growth. Growth is not confined to any one
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