Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 36
Integrating EDMSs
and DBMSs
Charles Banyay
D
(DBMS)
ATABASE
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
HAVE
BEEN
AN
INTEGRAL
(IT)
PART
and the systems development
life cycle since the 1960s. The database, especially the relational database,
has received ever-increasing visibility during the past decade due to the
mass availability of very cost-effective PC-based DBMSs. As a result, the
relational database has become ingrained as the natural metaphor for an
information repository with most organizations who utilize IT.
OF
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
With the advent of the electronic document or, to be more precise, the
electronic document management system (EDMS), as a significant new
metaphor for an information repository, it is useful to juxtapose the two ap-
proaches and to explore their relative advantages. First, it is necessary to
discuss the traditional process of using a DBMS in managing data. Second,
it is necessary to evaluate the unique properties of documents as opposed
to structured data and the challenges associated with managing informa-
tion using this metaphor. Having considered these two, it is possible to dis-
cuss how the DBMS can be used cooperatively with the new metaphor for
information repositories — the electronic document or EDMS.
THE DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The majority of IT professionals would not consider developing even the
most simple of applications without employing some kind of DBMS to man-
age the data. The traditional approach to utilizing database technology, re-
gardless of the application, involves some form of data analysis. Data
analysis generally consists of four stages called by different names, by the
various methodologies, but they all involve some form of
• Data collection and normalization
• Entity-relationship mapping
• Transaction analysis
• Data modeling
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