Database Uses and Issues

 

Value of Databases

  1. Databases are valuable assets to companies.
  2. They offer great opportunities for productivity.
  3. There are many users accessing databases on a regular basis.
  4. In corporate libraries, electronic databases are now considered more valuable than books and journals.
  5. Keeping databases secure is important.

 

 

Strategic Uses of Data

  1. Electronic databases help users keep current and plan for the future.
      
  2. To support the decision-making needs of business professionals, many organizations collect data from a variety of internal and external databases.
      
  3. This data is store in a special type of database called a data warehouse.
      
  4. A technique called data mining is then used to search these databases for information.
      
  5. Examples of databases used for general or business purposes are:
    1. Business Directories - Provide addresses, financial and marketing information, products, and trade and brand names.
        
    2. Demographic Data - Provides county and city statistics, current estimates on population and income, employment statistics, census data, etc.
        
    3. Business Statistical Information - Provides financial information on publicly traded companies, market potential of certain retail stores, and other business data and information.
        
    4. Text Database - Provides articles from business publications, press releases, reviews on companies and products, etc.
        
    5. Internet Database - Covers a wide range of topics, including those listed above. Yahoo and Hotbot search tools maintain extensive databases of available Web sites.

 

 

Importance of Security

  1. Many users are accessing electronic databases.
  2. Keeping them secure is an important issue.
  3. Constant efforts must be made to keep users from tampering with or misusing databases.
  4. Unauthorized users must be prevented from gaining access to a database because they can:
    1. Obtain confidential information.
    2. Corrupt data.
    3. Introduce a computer virus (hidden instructions that may invade programs and databases and destroy data).
  5. Security of databases should also include:
    1. Physically securing computer rooms with guards or identification checks.
    2. Storing backup tapes or disks of all valuable information in another location.

 

 

Role of Database Administrator

Many organizations employ a database administrator (DBA) to:

  1. Design and maintain their large databases.
  2. Determine the structure of the database.
  3. Evaluate the performance of the database management software.
  4. Determine which people would have processing rights (access to certain data).
  5. Ensure security, privacy, and ethics when using the database.

 

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