Chapter 7

Database Applications and Privacy Implications 

The Google Guys Search for Success

 Google is one of the most successful companies on WWW.

Search for Web pages, facts, quotes, etc.

200 million queries a day

 Launched by a Sergey Brin and
Larry Page (Stanford Ph.D. students)

New approach in search technology

Marks a page’s relevance by the number of times other related web pages link to it, not how often a word or phrase appeared on a page

What Good Is a Database?

 A database:

  A collection of information
stored on computer disks

  Database software:

  Application software
(like word processing and
spreadsheet software)

  Designed to maintain databases
(collections of information) 

  Advantages offered by computerized databases:

 1. Make it easier to store large quantities of information

 2. Make it easier to retrieve information quickly and flexibly

 3. Make it easy to organize and reorganize information

 4. Make it easy to print and distribute information in a variety of ways 

Database Anatomy

 Database program: a software tool for organizing the storage and retrieval of information

 Database: a collection of information stored in an organized form in a computer

  Typically composed of one or more tables

 > A collection of related information

 > A collection of records

Database Operations 

> Import: receive data in the form of text files

> Browse: navigate through information  

> Query: find records that match specific criteria 

Sort: rearrange records (alphabetically or numerically)

Print reports, labels, and form letters: A report is an ordered list of selected record and fields in an easy-to-read format. 

  

  Most modern database management programs support a standard language for programming complex queries called SQL (Structured Query Language).

1.  SQL is available for many database management systems.

2.  Programmers and sophisticated users don’t need to learn new languages when they work with new systems.

3.  The graphical user interfaces allow point-and-click queries that insulate users from the complexities of the query language.

Special-Purpose Database Programs

a.  Specialized database software: preprogrammed for specific data storage and retrieval purposes

b.  Geographical information systems (GIS): include geographic and demographic data in map form

Personal information manager (PIM): an electronic organizer

Automates some or all of the following functions:

1.  Address/phone book

2.  Appointment calendar

3.  To-do list

4.  Miscellaneous notes

Handheld computers can share information with applications such as iCalendar running on PCs and Macintoshes.      

      

From File Managers to Database Management Systems

  File manager: enables users to work with one file at a time

  Database management system (DBMS): manipulates data in a large collection of files, cross-referencing between files as needed

A DBMS can be used interactively, or can be controlled directly by other programs.

Database Trends

  Batch processing: users accumulate transactions and input them into the computer in large batches

  Real-Time computing: allows instant access to information

  Interactive processing: has replaced batch processing for most applications

  Users can now interact with data through terminals, viewing and changing values online in real-time.

  Batch processing is still used for jobs in which it makes sense to do a lot of transactions at once. 

“The goal is information
at your fingertips.” 

Bill Gates

 Databases and the Web

  Information is available via a company’s Intranet and the Internet.

  HTML, the language used to construct most Web pages, wasn’t designed to build database queries.

  XML, a newer, more powerful data description language, is designed with industrial-strength database access in mind.

  Web database strategies revolve around directories.

  Directories are at the heart of many customer relationship management (CRM) systems—software systems for organizing and tracking information on customers

Object-Oriented

1.  Easy manipulation of various types of data

2.  Saves time by reusing objects

3.  Associates actions with the data

Relational

1.  Not good with unstructured data (audio, video clips)

2.  Will still be used in combination with object oriented databases – as hybrids

Multimedia Databases

>  Serve as indexes for art, photographs, maps, video clips, and other media files

Natural Language Databases

>>  Allow users to ask for data using the same language used to address humans (natural language queries)

>>  Future databases will undoubtedly incorporate more artificial intelligence technology 

What Is Privacy?

  A common theme in privacy is the notion of access:

>  Physical proximity to the person

>  Knowledge about that person

  People need a certain amount of privacy to maintain their dignity and freedom.

>  How much dignity would you have if  everyone could read
your mind?

  Information about people can be of great value to society.

>  Many parents would like to know the identities of convicted
sex offenders. 

The Privacy Problem

  Protection against invasion of privacy is not explicitly guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

>  The right to privacy is implied by other constitutional guarantees.

>  Debates rage about what this means.

  Federal and state laws provide forms of privacy protection.

>  Most of those laws were written years ago.

            >  Most European countries have had strong privacy protection laws for years. 

Workplace monitoring technology enables managers to learn more than ever before about the work habits and patterns of workers.

Surveillance cameras are used increasingly for nabbing routine traffic violators and detecting security violators. Their data can be combined with picture databases to locate criminals—and others.

Surveillance satellites can provide permanent peepholes into our lives for anyone willing to pay the price.

Cell phones are now required, by law, to include technology to determine and transmit their locations to emergency personnel responding to 911 calls

Database programs enable users to quickly and efficiently store, organize, retrieve, communicate, and manage large amounts of information.

Database programs enable users to view data in a variety of ways, sort records in any order, and print reports, mailing labels, and other custom printouts.

Database management systems (DBMSs) can work with several data sources at once, cross-referencing information among files when appropriate.

The trend today is clearly away from large, centralized databases accessible only to data-processing staff.

Organizations are moving toward a client/server approach that enables users to have access to data stored in servers throughout the organization’s network.

The accumulation of data by government agencies and businesses is a growing threat to our right to privacy.

While there are many legitimate uses for these procedures, there is also a great potential for abuse.

~ooo~