A data warehouse is a place where data is stored for archival, analysis, and security purposes. Usually a data warehouse is either a single computer or many computers (servers) tied together to create one giant computer system. Data consists of raw data or formatted data. It can be on various types of topics including the organization’s sales, salaries, operational data, summaries of data including reports, copies of data, human resource data, inventory data, external data to provide simulations and analysis, etc. Besides being a storehouse for a large amount of Read More

Database normalization is the process of organizing data into distinct and unique sets. The purposes of normalization are to: Reduce or eliminate storage of duplicate data Organize data into an efficient and logical structure The process of normalization involves determining what data should be stored in each database table. By tradition, the process of normalization involves working through well-defined steps, called normal forms. In First Normal Form (1NF) you eliminate duplicate columns from the same table, create separate tables for each group of related data, and identify each row with Read More

A data dictionary is an integral part of a database. It holds information about the database and the data that it stores, i.e., the meta-data. Any well designed database will surely include a data dictionary as it gives database administrators and other users easy access to the type of data that they should expect to see in every table, row, and column of the database, without actually accessing the database. Since a database is meant to be built and used by multiple users, making sure that everyone is aware of Read More

A transactional database is a DBMS where write operations on the database are able to be rolled back if they are not completed properly. If a transactional database system loses electrical power half-way through a transaction, the partially completed transaction will be rolled back and the database will be restored to the state it was in before the transaction started. Imagine that a front-end application is sending a customer order to a database system. The front-end application sends the request to product to the customer and subtract the product from Read More

Database replication is the creation and maintenance of multiple copies of the same database. In most implementations of database replication, one database server maintains the master copy of the database and additional database servers maintain slave copies of the database. Database writes are sent to the master database server and are then replicated by the slave database servers. Database reads are divided among all of the database servers, which results in a large performance advantage due to load sharing. In addition, database replication can also improve availability because the slave Read More

Data mining is usually defined as searching, analyzing and sifting through large amounts of data to find relationships, patterns, or any significant statistical correlations. With the advent of computers, large databases and the internet, it is easier than ever to collect millions, billions and even trillions of pieces of data that can then be systematically analyzed to help look for relationships and to seek solutions to difficult problems. Besides governmental uses, many marketers use data mining to find strong consumer patterns and relationships. Large organizations and educational institutions also data Read More

JDBC (Java Data Base Connectivity) is an API (Application Programming Interface) for connecting to databases from the Java environment. JDBC is an alternative to ODBC. JDBC's Java interface is more comfortable to Java programmers than ODBC's C language interface. JDBC is included with both J2SE and J2EE. If no JDBC driver is available for your needs, a JDBC-ODBC bridge may be used to connect to an ODBC driver via the JDBC API. Java 2 includes a JDBC-ODBC bridge for Solaris and Microsoft Windows.

A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of computer programs that controls databases in every way–creation, maintenance and use of the database. Specifically, it enables an organization to hand power and control of the database into the hands of the administrators and other specialists who understand the database. One of the most important aspects of a DBMS is the end user. A DBMS ensures that information is presented to users from the database in a logical fashion. Organization of a Database Management System A DBMS is categorized based on Read More

A stored procedure is, in simplest terms, a command. Stored procedures are used to perform a wide variety of tasks on a computer and can be pre-programmed with any number of parameters or variables. While stored procedures are always used to interact with a database, they can be used for many different applications, such as use in employee databases, restaurant or retail records, or even in regular websites. How a Stored Procedure Works A stored procedure can be created by using any standard programming language and database, such as Java Read More

A computer, in its most simplified definition, is nothing more than a device that stores, processes, communicates, and manipulates data. Data is at the heart of every computer program, every web site, and even every video game. The computer has revolutionized modern life by enabling a level of speed and accuracy to handling information that has never before been possible. Computers accomplish this quite simply by following a set of instructions called code. A flat file is a static document, spreadsheet, or textual record that typically contains data that is Read More