DBMS Interrogation Tools

There are three major categories of Interrogation Tools:
 

1. Query Languages.  These include (but are not limited to):
   
   A.   Structured Query Languages (SQL).  This is where Oracle SQL comes into play
   B.   Query By Example (QBE). MS-ACCESS is a good example of this Graphic User Interface (GUI)
          database interrogation facility.
    
2. Multi-user Controls.
   
   Once upon a time, life was very simple. In the days of COBOL, everything was done in Batch. This meant that procedures were carried out one at a time. Life is no longer so simple. Today, we have many users trying to get to the same data, all at the same time. No es bueno!! It means that we have to take into account the possibility different users might be trying to change the same data at the time. We will need concurrency controls (Once again, to be discussed later).
    
3. Communication Interfaces.
   
   Once again, life used to be very simple. There was a mainframe which ran in COBOL, and all transactions ran one at a time. Life got a little more complicated when the mainframe had to deal with multiple users (see above). Now life is really complicated. Databases tend to be distributed (meaning they could be stored, totally or in part) anywhere in the world (literally) and access to them might come from many different ports:
   
   A.    Local Area Networks (LANs)
   B.   Intranets
   C.  Internets
   D.  Extranets
   
   What's A Person to do??
   
   Cry !!
   
   Thankfully, That is another function of the DBMS.

This page was last updated on 02/26/04.