数据库系统英文文献.doc

Database Systems 1. Fundamental Concepts of Database Database and database technology are having a major impact on the growing use of computers. It is fair to say that database will play a critical role in almost all areas where computers are used, including business, engineering, medicine, law, education, and library science, to name a few. The word database is in such common use that we must begin by defining what a database is. Our initial definition is quit general. A database is a collection of related data. By data, we mean known facts that can be recorded and that have implicit meaning. For example, consider the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of all the people you know. You may have recorded this data in an indexed address book, or you may have stored it on a diskette using a personal computer and software such as DBASE III or Lotus 1-2-3. This is a collection of related data with an implicit meaning and hence is a database. The above definition of database is quite general; for example, we may consider the collection of words that make up this page of text to be related data and hence a database. However, the common use of the term database is usually more restricted. A database has the following implicit properties: .A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent meaning. A random assortment of data cannot be referred to as a database. .A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific purpose. It has an intended group of users and some preconceived applications in which these users are interested. .A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called the mini world. Changes to the mini world are reflected in the database. In other words, a database has some source from which data are derived, some degree of interaction with events in the real world, and an audience that is actively interested in the contents of the database. A database can be of any size