Systems Management

Archive for the ‘Database Management’ Category

Basically SAP, an enterprise application is made up of programs together with the data used and formed by programs. The data are organized in a meaningful way within the database, making it easy for the programs to access and find the data necessary to do something useful like run a financial report or create a sales order. Both the programs as well as data exist in the same database in the case of an SAP component or products such as ECC. Normally each and every component has its own database a production system landscape composed of SAP ECC, SAP Business Warehouse (BW), and SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) consists of three production databases.

Database Structure:

Essentially database is an electronic filing system that houses a collection of information organized in such a way that allows a computer program to find preferred pieces of data in a rapid way. A database is composed of tables, columns (called fields), and rows (called records or data). The fundamental structure of a database is same as the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet wherein columns (fields) store row after row of records (data). The difference between a database and a spreadsheet is simply the databases that contain multiple tables are connected to one another through relationships.

Database structure is an alternative technical term that does not need to concern with you, but are important nonetheless. Structures are triggered and are very well defined in the ABAP/4 Data Dictionary and have only temporary data. The database plays a key role in each SAP system, as it houses all the data that are used by that SAP component or product specifically. Numerous brands of databases exist, making it easier for an IT shop to opt for a database vendor with which they are almost well-known. Moreover, it is imperative to note that not all database vendors and versions are supported by SAP. Rather it tends to stick with the market leaders, over the years adding and removing support for certain vendors.

Primary Key

Database tables in an Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) are obligatory to hold a unique field that distinguishes one particular record separately from others found in the database. This unique field is called a primary key and is composed of one or more fields that make each and every record in a database as a unique one.

Foreign Key

Use the primary key field in one table for linking it with another. The common link field in the other table is usually not the primary key in the other table: and is known as a foreign key.

Database Concepts:

The SAP system contains lots of types of constructs along with structures inside the R/3 Data Dictionary (DDIC). The majority of these constructs tend to be very technical.

Transparent Tables:

SAP uses another concept called transparent tables, which are SAP database tables that contain only data at runtime. When a table is activated in the ABAP/4 Data Dictionary, a transparent table is created automatically in the database. This transparent table encloses the same name as your database table contained in the ABAP/4 Dictionary. Each of its fields contains the same names as their database counterparts though the sequence of the fields might get varied. This unstable field sequence makes it possible to insert new fields into the table without having to convert it, all of which pays a way for more rapid access to data during runtime.

Database management has become important part of every company that has got data to be managed and handled. Server databases and desktop databases are two types of database management systems. The desktop one is concerned with single-user applications and is connected with standard personal computers.

Whereas the server database is mainly connected with multi-user applications and have greater reliability and data consistency. It is costlier than desktop database and operates on high performance servers.

Any website should not blindly dive into the conclusion of database design selection, proper pre-analysis and research is necessary. Sometimes it happens that you decide to buy expensive server database but when calculating your business requirements, desktop database seems to be proper. Also many times requirements for server based database also arises.

In order to analyze the needs of the company about which database would be best, certain points have to clear. Like in how much time will your company data need to be changed and who would make these changes. The concerned authority who would be in-charge of using database and the work they would perform should be known. Also the person responsible for maintenance for data and the source that would be providing IT support should be having knowledge. See to it that which hardware is available and the budget for purchasing the hardware.

After clearing these important issues you can start the procedure of specific database management system evaluation. In order to fulfill database’s complex needs, you may require sophisticated server platform that is multi-user based as in Oracle and SQL server. For simpler needs desktop database is the right choice like Microsoft Access. It is inexpensive and offers simple data storage and manipulation facilities. As the name suggests it operates on personal computers and is best for them. Apart from Microsoft Access, Lotus, FileMaker Pro, FoxPro and Paradox are some popular desktop database software.

Oracle, Microsoft SQL server and IBM DB-2 are some popular server databases. They provide enough expertise to manage large amount of data effectively and users can access to these data whenever required. The companies that can afford this particular type of database, they can get the benefit of detailed data management design and solution.

Thus a well structured and planned database design provides a strong base for future company success. Henceforth you can plan accordingly for better performance and futuristic growth.

Copyright

With the hot new buzz about data management systems, you would have thought that they are a very recent invention. In fact, that is not true at all. Simple electromagnetic databases have existed even in the earliest electronic computers. In fact, it is hard for any computer to operate without a database infrastructure behind it. In this article, I’ll give you the history of database management systems.

If you think about it, database management systems have even existed for thousands of years. However, in the earlier days they were recorded without computers, with crude accounting systems that banks used to use over a 500 years ago.

However, when most people talk about database management systems, they refer to one of an electronic nature. This is where electromagnetic storage of information takes place, is organized and can be recalled later with a set of commands.

At first, database management systems are very crude, as there was always a memory problem with the earlier electronic computers. In fact, Bill Gates was quoted as saying in 1981 that 640K memory ought to be enough for anybody. Ha!

Around the 1960s, the earliest of electromagnetic database storage was used only by those who could afford it, because of its extremely high expense. In fact, whereas today databases are used for research purposes, at this time computers were themselves considered a research project.

It wasn’t until the 1970s, when memory was able to be increased and component prices began to decrease, was there any real headway with database management systems. It was at this time that a number of different problems started coming up, as related to information management on the computers. With all these problems surfacing, a solution was needed.

In the 1980 all the major vendors who sold hardware systems started incorporating database management systems into their computers for a systematic solution.

At first, these database management systems were very specific to the computer and to the user. IBM was one of the leaders in this category, but soon many clones and competitors entered into the marketplace, all at varying price points with different and alternative solutions.

With the advent of the 90s, the shift turned from having an accurate database management system, to having one that was easily maintainable. This is because memory capacity started to grow, as well as the creation and spread of information. This is when some of the more sophisticated database management systems at the market.

Currently, the focus is on completely automating most of the database management administration.