Courtney Gardner
DBM/380
05-17-2010
James Butcher
Week Individual Database Design
“A database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. In order for a database to be truly functional, it must not only store large amounts of records well, but be accessed easily. In addition, new information and changes should also be fairly easy to input (tech-faq.com)”. To ensure practical use over a long period of, databases ought to be built with high-level of data integrity and the capability to recover data in the event of hardware failure. Data that has been destroyed or corrupted is useless within a business’s data system structure.
“The database architecture is the set of specifications, rule, and processes that dictate how data is stored in a database and how data is accessed by components of the system (wingenious.com).” Database architecture type S can be fragmented into three general categories, each of which has numerous subcategories: One Tier, Two Tier which is at the client/server level, and the N Tier which is at the client/server level as well.
The Tier One architecture is better suited for a single user and a moderately small amount of data. It is run on a user’s local host machine and locates a file that is stored on that workstation’s hard disk, hence using a particular physical source to access and process data.
For numerous users and applications of a small scale the Tier Two client/server architecture is a better fit compared to the Tier One architecture. Users interface with the graphical user interface or (GUI) to interact and transfer data to and from the database server through a network via the structured query language or (SQL).
For the larger scaled programs, the N Tier client/server architecture needs to be implemented. This client/server structure is able to increase to include a mid-level or business level tier, this structure has a server for
References: What are Relational Databases, and Why Should I Care? . (n.d.). Index of /. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://dewey.library.nd.edu/mylibrary/manual/ch/ch16.html What is a Database?. (n.d.). The Tech-FAQ. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.tech-faq.com/what-is-a-database.html Wingenious. (n.d.). Wingenious. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://wingenious.com