DBMS Utilities
A data loading utility:
Which allows easy loading of data from the external format without writing programs.
A backup utility:
Which allows to make copies of the database periodically to help in cases of crashes and disasters.
Recovery utility:
Which allows to reconstruct the correct state of database from the backup and history of transactions.
Monitoring tools:
Which monitors the performance so that internal schema can be changed and database access can be optimized.
File organization:
Which allows restructuring the data from one type to another?
Purpose of DBMS
Drawbacks of using file systems to store data:
- Data redundancy and inconsistency
- Multiple file formats, duplication of information in different files
- Difficulty in accessing data
- Need to write a new program to carry out each new task
- Data isolation - multiple files and formats
- Integrity problems
- Integrity constraints (e.g. account balance > 0) become part of program code
- Hard to add new constraints or change existing ones
Drawbacks of using file systems (cont.)
- Atomicity of updates
- Failures may leave database in an inconsistent state with partial updates carried out
- E.g. transfer of funds from one account to another should either complete or not happen at all
- Concurrent access by multiple users
- Concurrent accessed needed for performance
- Uncontrolled concurrent accesses can lead to inconsistencies
- E.g. two people reading a balance and updating it at the same time
- Security problems
- Database systems offer solutions to all the above problems
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