Information Systems and Databases
CHAPTER 11
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Chapter Objectives
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Describe the difference between data and information.
Describe what an Information System is.
Explain the various types of Information Systems.
Explain what a database is and describe common
database objects.
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Information Systems
What is an Information System

Information systems are implemented within an
organization for the purpose of improving the
effectiveness and efficiency of that
organization. Capabilities of the information
systems include characteristics of the
organization, its work systems, its people, and
its development and implementation
methodologies
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Data and Information
What is Data?
 Data is just that…data. You can think of data as
raw and somewhat useless until it is processed
and turned into something useful. Data has
many forms that include words, numbers,
symbols, transactions, events and even facts.
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Data and Information
What is Information?
 Information is data that has been processed in
such a way as to be meaningful. Information
captures data at a single point. Information is
the result of organizing, processing, and
interpreting data, thus transforming the
findings into facts that are useful.
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Data and Information
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Information in Business
Planning
Recording
Controlling
Measuring
Decisions
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Information in Business
Where does the information come from?
 Internal information comes from as you may have
guessed…inside the business or organization.
Accounting records are a good example of internal
information. They detail the transactions of the
business.
 Employee records with information on pay, skills etc.
 Contract records with information on costs associated
with projects.
 Customer contact record with information on calls
received and for what.
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Information in Business
Where does the information come from?
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External information is obtained from outside the
business or organization.
There are several categories of external information:
Federal and State tax information and changes.
Current legislation on the environment, employment law
and safety regulations.
Market research: Information about the markets in
which a business operate.
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Types of Information Systems
ESS
 MIS
 DSS
 KMS
 TPS
 OAS
* More types are always being defined
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Types of Information Systems
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Why IS?
Why Information Systems are important.
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An understanding of the effective and responsible use
and management of information systems is important
for managers and other business knowledge workers in
today’s global information society.
Information systems and technologies have become a
vital component of successful businesses and
organizations. Information systems constitute an
essential field of study in business administration and
management, as they are considered a major functional
area in business operations.
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Database
What is a database?

A database can be defined as a collection of
information that is organized so that it can easily
be accessed, managed, and updated. Databases
were created to store information. There are many
different kind of databases but we will limit our
discussion to the Database Management System
also known as a DBMS.
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DBMS
A DBMS is a software program that typically operates on a database server or
mainframe system to manage structured data, accept queries from users, and
respond to those queries. A typical DBMS has the following features:
 Provides a way to structure data as records, tables, or objects
 Accepts data input from operators and stores that data for later retrieval
 Provides query languages for searching, sorting, reporting, and other
"decision support" activities that help users correlate and make sense of
collected data
 Provides multiuser access to data, along with security features that prevent
some users from viewing and/or changing certain types of information
 Provides data integrity features that prevent more than one user from
accessing and changing the same information simultaneously
 Provides a data dictionary (metadata) that describes the structure of the
database, related files, and record information
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DBMS
Characteristics of a DBMS
While all database systems have some differences, database
systems also share the following characteristics:
 Controls data redundancy.
 Enforces user defined rules.
 Ensures data sharing.
 It has automatic and intelligent backup and recovery
procedures.
 It has central dictionary to store information.
 Pertaining to data and its manipulation.
 It has different interfaces via which user can manipulate the
data.
 Enforces data access authorization.
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DBMS Users
Who works with the DBMS?
Three types of people are involved with a general-purpose DBMS:
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DBMS developers - These are the people that design and build the DBMS
product. They are typically the employees of a DBMS vendor such as Oracle
or Microsoft. They are typically skilled systems programmers. DBMS
development is a complicated task, and some of the popular DBMSs have
been under development for decades.
Application developers and Database administrators - These are the people
that design and build a database-based application that uses the DBMS.
The latter group members design the needed database and maintain it. The
first group members write the needed application programs which the
application comprises. Both are well familiar with the DBMS product and
use its user interfaces (as well as usually other tools) for their work.
Application's end-users (e.g., accountants, insurance people, medical
doctors, etc.) - These people know the application and its end-user
interfaces, but need not know nor understand the underlying DBMS. Thus,
though they are the intended and main beneficiaries of a DBMS, they are
only indirectly involved with it.
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DBMS Objects - Tables
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Databases and DBMS’s need a place to store the
information that they collect. The place to store this
information is known as a table. A table is the basic building
block of a database because without a table there would be
no place to store information. All other objects in the
database, such as forms, reports and queries rely on the
table object for information.
Employee ID
Employee Name
Pay Rate
Service Years
51234
Steve Jones
24000
2
46124
Mike Smith
36000
7
12366
Shelly Johnson
28000
3
56712
Russ Kelley
14000
1
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DBMS Objects – Row/Records
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The simple payroll table shown on the previous page
contains payroll information about four employees.
Each employee’s payroll information is on a line of its
own. As we mentioned before, each line is called a
row, and the data it contains is called a record. Each
row/record will contain the information for one—and
only one—of the items defined by the table’s name.
The table is designed so that it only takes one row to
hold the entire information specific to each of
whatever the table’s name says it to hold.
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DBMS Objects – Queries
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A DBMS that only stores information would be pretty useless.
You could look at all the information in a table much like you
would a spreadsheet but in doing so you would be missing the
point of a DMBS. The DBMS should allow easy retrieval and
updating of our information from any table in the DBMS.
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The real power of a database lies in its capabilities to answer
complex questions or requests. These types of requests are
how a DBMS user interacts with a database of information to
get the information they need. These requests are known as
queries. A query is a DBMS object that allows the user to
request or update information in the database.
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DBMS Objects – Queries
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DBMS Objects – Forms
We know that we create a table and look at the
information inside the table, but what if we want to
create an easier way to view and update our
information? A DBMS provides a graphical interface for
displaying/updating information. This display is called
a form as shown below. The form is easily created in a
DBMS like Microsoft Access and contains a visual
display of the fields in various tables. The form allows
the user to view, update and delete information in the
DBMS with ease.
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DBMS Objects – Forms
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DBMS Objects – Reports
Many times a user of a DBMS will want to create an
output of specific information from the database for
either their own use or possibly for their management.
This output can be accomplished in a DBMS by
creating a Report.
Reports provide the capability to produce attractively
formatted summaries of the information contained in
one or more tables and/or queries of the DBMS.
DBMS products like Microsoft Access allow the user to
create reports quickly by using templates and also
through the use of ‘Wizards’, which guide the user
through creating reports with ease.
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DBMS Objects – Reports
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END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN
End of chapter
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