Assignment+5

Discussion question no. 9 Why is the object-oriented database model gaining acceptance for developing applications and managing the hypermedia databases on business Web sites? The object-oriented database model is gaining acceptance for developing applications and managing the hypermedia database on business Web Sites. [1] The object-oriented model is considered one of the key technologies of a new generation of multimedia Web-based applications. An object consists of data values describing the attributes of an entity, plus the operations that can be performed upon the data. This is important for business websites, because It could allow them to create new objects but replicating some of the features and parts from other ones. [2] The object-oriented model also supports inheritance: new objects can be automatically created by replicating some or all of the characteristics of one or more parent objects. This allows innovation to take place. Every business that has a Web Site is looking for new ways to create innovation. The book give an example as, object technology allows designers to develop product designs, store them as objects in an object-oriented database, and replicate and modify them to create new product designs. This is why it’s becoming so popular in computer-aided design and a growing number of applications. Being able to work with complex data is important. This makes Encapsulation important. This encapsulation capability allows the object-oriented model to handle complex types of data such as graphics, pictures, voice, text, etc more easily than other databases. This also gives way to Hypermedia databases. [3] A Web site stores such information in a hypermedia database consisting of hyperlinked pages of multimedia (text, graphic, and photographic images, video clips, audio segments, and so on). [4] It is from a database management point of view, the set of interconnected multimedia pages on a Website is a database of interrelated hypermedia page elements, rather than interrelated data records.

Discussion Question # 6

There are several types of databases that are important to businesses today, one in particular would be the operational databases. Operational Databases store detailed data needed to support the business processes and operations of a company (168). Operational Databases have also been known as subject area databases, transaction databases, and production databases. According to the text, an example of an Operational database would be a human resource database, a customer database, and inventory database. A second type of database used by business is the Distributed Database. Distributed databases are  spread across a network of computers that are geographically dispersed and connected via communications links. A distributed database allows faster local queries and can reduce network traffic. The forms of distributed data are replicated data, horizontally fragmented data, vertically fragmented data, re-organized date, and separate-schema data ( http://it.toolbox.com). Another type of database are the External Databases. An External Database allows you to access data from external sources. An example of an external data base would be the World Wide Web. Whenever you use a search engine such as Google, you are using an external databases( 172). Finally, another type of data base is the hypermedia Databases. Hypermedia databases consist of hyperlinked pages of multimedia. A hypermedia database is essentially an implementation of a semantic network of concepts and relations. Concepts can consist of text, images, and graphics or combinations thereof. Relations consist of associative links that provide the capability to rapidly move from one concept to a related concept (www.knowsci.com).

Discussion Question # 8 The relational database model is the most widely used among the three database structures and is used by most microcomputer DBMS packages as well as midrange and mainframe systems (pg. 159). Data elements are stored in flat files. The major difference between a flat file and a database are that a flat file can only have data attributes specified for one file. A database can specify data attributes for multiple files simultaneously and can relate the various data elements in one file to those in one or more other files (159).

In the Relational Model, every row must have a distinctive identification or key used to allocate the data that will follow it. Keys are used to join data from two or more relations based on matching identification. The Relational Model can often also include concepts known generally as foreign keys, foreign keys are primary keys in one relation that are kept in another relation to allow for the joining of data. An example of foreign keys is storing your mother's and father's social security number in the row that represents you (.www learn.geekinterview.com) The Relational Model is a clean and simple model that uses the concept of a relation using a table rather than a graph or shapes. The information is put into a grid like structure that consists of columns running up and down and rows that run from left to right, this is where information can be categorized and sorted (www learn.geekinterview.com). http://www.learn.geekinterview.com/it/data-modeling/relational-model.html

Case study question no. 1 What are the business benefits to Amazon and eBay of opening up some of their databases to developers and entrepreneurs? Do you agree with this strategy? Why or why not? The business benefits to Amazon and eBay for opening up some of their databases to developers and entrepreneurs is driving more sales. There is a big risk for Amazon and eBay when allowing developers and entrepreneurs scavenge through its data jewels, and control parts of their data warehouse. However [5] In the hands of top Web innovators, Amazon’s data could be the dynamo of new Web sites and businesses that would expand the company’s already gigantic online footprint and ultimately drive more sales. This is important for anyone who does business on line. Having business partner that is an expert in a field that you are not in, but that could help you, is very benifital. For an example [6] since the company opened up its data vaults in 2002, under the auspices of a project first called Amazon Web Services, more than 65,000 developers, businesses, and other entrepreneurs have tapped into the data. With it, they’re building moneymaking Websites, new online shopping interfaces, and innovative services for thousands of Amazon’s independent sellers. I believe this is a good strategy, because it allows companies to work alongside of Amazon and eBay, as partners, and makes things easier for consumers, and them. Creating innovative ways to make things flow better actually helps everyone as well. The book gives an example of the service called ScoutPal. [7] It’s a service that turns cell phones into mobile bar-code scanners. “It’s like a Geiger counter for books,” founder Dave Anderson says. Anderson wrote an application that works in tandem with attachable bar-code scanner. You would either scan in books bar codes or punches in their 10-digit ID number, which makes things a lot easier for customers if they want to search for a books least amount listed price. I think this one strategy in opening up their database to potential partners have drove up sells, and continue to do so, and it helps create innovative new ideas. There may be many other tools that gain attraction in the future, and they could end up being the driving force for sales for these companies.

[1] O’Brien pg 161 [2] O’Brien pg 161 [3] O’Brien pg 172 [4] O’Brien pg 172 [5] O’Brien pg 155 [6] O’Brien pg 155 [7] O’Brien pg 156

Question 1: How should business store, access, and distribute data and information about their internal operations and external environment?

Internal Operational databases store detailed data needed to support the business processes and operations of a company. They are also called subject area databases (SADB), transaction databases, and production databases these databases may be replicated and distributed to network servers (distributed databases), on the World Wide Web, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks.

External Databases for external use can be operational databases made available through a company’s extranet or on another company network. It may be a hypermedia database that consists of hyperlinked pages of multimedia.

Data warehouse Warehouse is using the transaction systems as its source of data and it is refreshed occasionally. Warehouse works like: programs that extracts from transaction system and translates into warehouse format. Then, files that are formatted transferred and loaded into the Warehouse. After then, the data will be available for analysis and reports. Furthermore, company can use a data warehouse as a central source of the data that has been cleaned, transformed, and catalogued for use by management and others, internal and external, to the company.

Question 3: What are the advantages of a database management approach to the file processing approach? Give examples to illustrate your answer.

There are many advantages of using a database management approach as opposed to using the file processing approach. The main reason that database management systems have an advantage over file processing is that the database management system (DBMS) serves as a software interface between users and databases, which helps users //easily// access the data in a database (p.179). Since file processing systems have data organized, stored, and processed in independent files of data records (p.176), so it can be very //difficult// to gain access to specific data records.

File processing systems have a few major problems. First, file processing has data redundancy. Data redundancy means that there are a lot of duplicated data files (p.177). The main problem with the data redundancy is when the files need to be updated. This is a problem because every instance of the file would need to be updated; updating just one file would not be enough. When the files are updated, there can be inconsistencies among the data stored in separate files. The second problem with file processing is the lack of data integration. This is a problem because it is difficult for an end user to fulfill a request when all of the data that they need is stored in different files, which need special programs to retrieve the data from each file. Thirdly, data dependence is a major problem when using file processing systems. This means that everything about the files; their organization, physical storage location, and application software used to access those files, are all dependent on one another in very significant ways (p.178). When one aspect of the file system is changed, all of the other aspects of the files need to be updated as well, which can be quite cumbersome and hard to maintain. Lastly, file processing systems have a lack of data integrity or standardization. This means that different elements of the data could be defined differently, creating inconsistencies that make it harder to develop programs to access the data (p.178). The database management (DBMS) approach can solve the problems that were encountered with the file processing approach. What the database management approach does is consolidate data records that were formerly held in separate files, into databases that can be accessed by many different application programs (p.179). Some of the real world examples of using database management approach is check processing, automated teller systems, bank credit cards, saving accounts, and installment loan accounting. These systems are made possible because they consolidate the data into a database, which is then accessible by many applications. Some database management packages that are available to use on a regular computer are Microsoft Access, Lotus Approach, and Corel Paradox.

There are three major functions of database management systems have to offer over file processing systems. They are to create new databases and database applications, to maintain the quality of the data in the organization’s databases, and to use the databases of an organization to provide the information needed by its end users (p.180). Using database management, a search query can be used to find information in the files that you are looking for. The biggest advantage of the database management approach is its ease of use to end users, compared to file processing systems.

O'brien, J.A, & Marakas, G.M (2008). //Introduction To Information Systems//. New York,: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

What business factors are causing Google to move slowly in opening up its databases? Do you agree with its go-slow strategy? Why or why not?

Google has been working to collect large amounts of information on its advertisers along with the websites it indexes and search history of its users. Google primarily uses this data to fund its product Ad Words. More specifically, they use it mostly to fund the algorithms and relations. What is interesting is that this data is also valuable to other companies. Google is essentially trying out new sales opportunities based on this data by opening up their databases. Despite the fact that most of it is anonymized, the data maintains its value in tracking market trends. For example trends could be what hotels, brands of clothing or vacation spots people search for. Then these brands can be linked with certain other properties and how people search products online. One reason this data is important is that vendors can more accurately tune their advertising efforts. This increases their efficiency to be influential for product makers instead of relying on costly and often influenced surveys and focus groups and other means to gain the voice of the customer. This allows them to gain more accurate market data from a low cost and unbiased large sample source.

The go slow is a good idea for a couple reasons. First, it allows Google to know what data is the most useful to certain businesses. This then allows them to refine the data to its specific target. However a company might not be so concerned that a number of new car shoppers are searching for a certain color but they will appreciate the data that will show how half of the shoppers are looking for hybrids, flex fuels, and other efficient cars and how the trends of such demands change. By utilizing the available data and applying it to business applications, Google can use the go-slow approach in several ways. Google will be able to construct a well defined market for its data all while it is learning how to deliver the data to its market in the most efficient way. This strategy will lead Google to a more refined product instead of using a trial and error method.

Should other companies follow Amazon's and eBay's lead and open up some of their databases to developers and others? Defend your position with examples of the risks and benefits to an actual company.

I don’t believe it is likely that the companies will lose anything if they decide to open up their databases to others. Based on how it went with Amazon and eBay when they opened their databases, it’s likely that other companies would the same or close to same results. The only risk that occurs is the case where people take the information for themselves and don’t contribute anything back to the company. There are benefits of opening their databases to the developers and others. One benefit is that it could cause large growth for the company and broaden the company’s network.

If a company like Craigslist did the same thing as Amazon and eBay and opened their databases it would more than likely lead to a rapid growth. Craigslist is the most widely used source for people who want to buy or sell within close proximity to their home. If the listing process was made simpler and more user friendly, items listed would increase on the site. Additionally, if the search tool was simpler more people would use the site for purchasing items. The applications that are found on sites like Amazon or eBay would give Craigslist a competitive edge against both Amazon and eBay. 