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Chapter 13
Question 5
a. Managing the data repository – Data Administration
b. Installing and upgrading the DBMS – Database Administration
c. Conceptual data modeling – Data Administration
d. Managing data security and privacy – Database Administration
e. Database planning – Data Administration
f. Tuning database performance - Database Administration
g. Database backup and recovery - Database Administration
h. Running heartbeat queries - Database Administration
Question 8
Data Administrators must be skilled managers that can help colleagues adjust to the changes brought by
the new information architecture, and be able to deal with any issues that come from these changes.
DAs should have experience with the company and already be a respected senior manager, to ensure
familiarity with the systems they will be designing and maintaining. Their technical skills must be
sufficient to interact with Database Administration in the implementation of the systems they design.
Data administration must have the organizational skills needed to maintain company-wide standards
and definitions of data.
Database Administration personnel need a highly skilled if not expert level of technical knowledge and
experience, ranging widely from hardware to software, from networking to data modeling, design and
development. They must be able to manage personnel in all other information systems departments
during implementation and maintenance of the database. They must be skilled at troubleshooting and
tuning the performance of the database and information systems. They must be able to work closely
with Data Administration and assist in developing data models into information systems architecture.
Question 20
Aborted transactions – If a transaction is not completed in a normal manner, there could be incomplete
or incorrect changes to information in the database. It may be caused by human error, invalid data
entry, power failure and loss of transmission, hardware failure at any point, and others. Removing all
changes pertinent to the aborted transaction (backing out the transaction) ensures the integrity of the
data as a whole.
Incorrect data – An entry of information may be incorrect but still valid, causing complex issues with the
integrity of the data that may not be easy to catch or remedy. If the incorrect entries can be tracked
down, they can be changed manually, compensated for, or the database can be restored from an earlier
time.
System failure – If the system housing the database fails, whether by software, user error, hardware,
power, or transmission of transactions, the system will be sufficiently robust that the database won’t be
harmed. An aborted transaction may become an issue afterward. Bringing the system back to working
order and backing out any aborted transactions will usually be enough to gain access to the data again.
Database destruction – Full loss of the database can occur if the data cannot be read, or hardware
failure makes accessing the database itself impossible. Hard drive failure is a common cause (and can be
guaranteed to happen), and whatever backup or mirror of the database that can be restored fastest or
easiest is the best way to deal with destruction. Back up your data, kids.