IS6145
Database Analysis and Design
Lecture 1: Introduction to IS6145 and the
changing nature of data
Rob Gleasure
R.Gleasure@ucc.ie
www.robgleasure.com
IS6145
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Today’s session
 Change of time/place for next week
 Course outline
 Data a few years ago
 Data now
 The cloud
 Big data
 Business Intelligence
 The case of Spotify
IS6145
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Lecture times
 13.00-15.00, Wednesday (KANE B10A)
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Contact me at
 Ext 2503
 Room 2.112
 R.Gleasure@ucc.ie
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Website for this course
 http:// girtab.ucc.ie/rgleasure/index.html
IS6145
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Module content
 Data modelling is studied in its practical dimensions and
enterprise relational database applications (e.g. Oracle, MS SQLServer) are used to demonstrate the key issues in database
administration with an introduction to SQL.
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Topics covered include
 Data modelling (ERDs and normalisation)
 Database technology and developing database systems
IS6145
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Learning objective
 Analyse organisational activities to identify key data requirements
 Generate ERD models to identify data sources and their
relationships
 Employ normalisation processes to assist in meeting the data
integrity requirements
 Identify and utilise various relational data management systems
(RDMS) to meet an organisations functional requirements
 Demonstrate proficiency in basic SQL scripting, including the
ability to insert, delete and update database records.
IS6145
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Course Assessment
 Continuous assessment: 30 marks
 In-class exam – 20 marks
 Group report – 30 marks
 Exam: 50 marks
IS6145
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Some things to note
 Ask questions
 Help each other
 Make use of the Internet
 Use search engines (e.g. google) to find information on things
you want to know more about
 If you see cases or interesting stories you think we should talk
about in lectures, email me
IS6145
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Some things to note
 This is essentially a skill-building course
 We’re going to have to discuss things and practice different
modelling techniques to improve
 As a starting point
 What is data?
Data a few years ago
Image from http://www.hotcleaner.com/web_storage.html
The Cloud
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Capacity
Resources
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Web is overtaking/has overtaken desktop
Mobile is replacing local
Utility-based computing is replacing once-off purchase
 Makes resources seem endless
 Lowers risk in terms of usage (pay as you go)
Demand
Resources
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Capacity
Demand
Time
Static data center
Time
Data center in the cloud
Slide Credits: Berkeley RAD Lab
The Cloud
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The ‘Internet of things’ was born in about 2009
 More devices connected to the Web than people…
Image from http://computinged.com/edge/become-part-of-the-cloud-computing-revolution/
The Cloud
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This has meaningful implications for data in terms of
 Capacity
 Measurement
 Integration
 Security
 Privacy
Big data
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All of this interaction with one linked information system means vast
quantities of data can be captured throughout user interaction, often
in real-time
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‘big data’
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The idea is that the vast amounts of interaction data allow for
systems that are nuanced and responsive in ways that were
previously not possible
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Also a realisation that, if it can be analysed, this data is a huge
commodity, meaning new business models are possible
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Firms like Google, eBay, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. are based on the
principles of big data
3 Vs of Big data
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Volume
 Facebook generates 10TB of new data daily, Twitter 7TB
 A Boeing 737 generates 240 terabytes of flight data during a flight
from one side of the US to the other
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Velocity
 Clickstreams and asynchronous data transfer can capture what
millions of users are doing right now
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Variety
 Move from structured data to unstructured data, including image
recognition, text mining, etc.
 Gathered from users, applications, systems, sensors
Big data
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All of this means huge changes for a number of sectors
 e.g.
 Healthcare
 Trading
 Education
 Transport
Big data
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E.g. in Healthcare
 Modernizing Medicine EMA dermatology system
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMGaGtK9nzU
Big data
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E.g. in entertainment
 Amazon
 What did Amazon do that bricks-and-mortar bookshops didn’t?
Assignment 1

In groups, you are tasked with identifying and researching a
business that uses data in an interesting and creative way.
 The report should be approximately 2000 words and describe the
key values offered by the business to its consumers, how this
differentiates it from competitors, and how its use of data at
different points in the creation, delivery, and support of
products/services enables this differentiation.
 You don’t need to go into deep technical detail concerning how
data is handled, nor about the technologies used. However you
should discuss data-related processes at a high-level, insofar as
you understand them from the information you gathered
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The report is due on the 23rd October, at which time a soft-bound
report should be handed into Ann O’Riordan in room 3.75
Assignment 1
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The groups are as follows:
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Group 1: Hartigan, Stephen John; Ojo, Afolabi; Liu, Yang;
Group 2: Li, Xiaochen; Cofalik, Emilia Agnieszka; Curtin, Peter
Laurence;
Group 3: Hayes, Brian James; Murphy, Charles Francis; Murphy, Laura;
Group 4: Kelleher, Shona; Wang, Pengcheng; Walsh, Bernard John;
Group 5: Carey, Caroline; Nolan, Ryan; Wu, Jiahua;
Group 6: Aslam, Usman; Quirke, David; Martin, James Michael;
Group 7: Wang, Meng; Cahill, Liam; Foley, Ciara Mary;
Group 8: Lee, David James; Lu, Zicheng; O Brien, Patrick Anthony;
Want to read more?
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On Modernizing Medicine
 https://www.modmed.com/
On Spotify
 http://www.bigdata-startups.com/BigData-startup/big-dataenabled-spotify-change-music-industry/#!prettyPhoto
On the cloud and big data
 The Little Book of Cloud Computing 2013 edition, Lars Nielsen