John Villamil-Casanova Executive Vice President & CIO The Aspira Association 202.835.3600 ext. 123 jvillamil@aspira.org
Agenda
Introduction and participants needs We will review what is a database; Understand the difference between data and information; What is the purpose of a database system; How to select a database system; Database definitions and fundamental building blocks;
Agenda (2)
Database development: the first steps; Quality control issues; Data entry considerations;
What is a database
A database is any organized collection of data. Some examples of databases you may encounter in your daily life are:
a telephone book T.V. Guide airline reservation system motor vehicle registration records papers in your filing cabinet files on your computer hard drive.
What is information?
Data can be defined in many ways. Information science defines data as unprocessed information.
Information is data that have been organized and communicated in a coherent and meaningful manner. Data is converted into information, and information is converted into knowledge. Knowledge; information evaluated and organized so that it can be used purposefully.
Types of Databases
Non-relational databases
Non-relational databases place information in field categories that we create so that information is available for sorting and disseminating the way we need it. The data in a non-relational database, however, is limited to that program and cannot be extracted and applied to a number of other software programs, or
other database files within a school or administrative system. The data can only be "copied and pasted. Example: a spread sheet
Relational databases
In relational databases, fields can be used in a number of ways (and can be of variable length), provided that they are linked in tables. It is developed based on a database model that provides for logical connections among files (known as tables) by including identifying data from one table in another table
Some Definitions
A File: A group or collection of similar records, like INST6031 Fall Student File, American History 1850-1866 file, Basic Food Group Nutrition File A record book: a "rolodex" of data records, like address lists, inventory lists, classes or thematic units, or groupings of other unique records that are combined into one list (found in AppleWorks, FileMaker Pro software). A field: one category of information, i.e., Name, Address, Semester Grade, Academic topic A record: one piece of data, i.e., one student's information, a recipe, a test question A layout: a design for a database that contains field names and possibly graphics.
Database glossary
The table above contains the employee information for our organization -- characteristics like name, date of birth and title. Examine the construction of the table and you'll find that each column of the table corresponds to a specific employee characteristic (or attribute in database terms). Each row corresponds to one particular employee and contains his or her information. That's all there is to it! If it helps, think of each one of these tables as a spreadsheet-style listing of information.
Where do we start?
Lets explore your paper system
Client intake forms Job application form Funders reports Define required fields from forms or required reports Avoid repetition Keep it simple Identify a unique identifier or primary key
Database modeling:
USB or Wireless attached to a Palm or Pocket PC WiFi 802.11g, Bluetooth Wireless networks (real-time on demand systems)
Pocket PC