IT and Project Managment related Questions
Topic 1.3: Why database design is important? Database Design is the database structure that will be used as plan to store and manage data. The dat abase management system (DBMS) is the software used to implement a database design.
Modern database and appl ications development software is so easy to use that many people can quickly learn to implement a simple database and develop simple applications within a week or so, without giving design much thought. As data and reporting r equirements become more complex, those same people will simply (and quickly!) produc e the required data by incorrectly adding more columns of t ables to the database. That's how data redundancies and all their att endant anomalies develop, thus reducing the "database" and its applications to a status worse than useless. The following are basically the r easons for doing database design:
• Good application programs can' t overcome bad database designs.
• The existence of a DBMS does not guarantee good data management, nor does it ensure that the database will be able to generate correct and timely information.
• Ultimately, the end us er and the designer decide what data will be stored in the database.
A database created without the benefit of a detailed blueprint (data model) is unlikely to be satisfactory Would you think it smart to build a house without the benefit of a blueprint (house plans)? So why would you want to create a database without a blueprint? (Perhaps it would be OK to build a chicken coop without a blueprint, but would you want your house to be built the same way?) In summary, good database design avoids redundant data (unnecessarily duplicated data) since poorly designed da tabase generates inconsistent data (inaccurate data) Æ leads to bad decisions Æ can lead to failure of organization This course is more concerned with learning good database design.
Concept Check Explain why database design is important?
What is the difference between Database Design and the DBMS?
