Discussion post responses.

Please respond to the following:

· The development of a database requires thorough methodology that ensures quality within the solution. Imagine you have been contracted to develop a finance database that will help an organization track monthly expenditures by departments. Using the DBLC, discuss the various activities that you would have to achieve each phase. Assess possible challenges that may exist within each phase. Suggest actions that one can perform in order to overcome these possible challenges.

· In order to mitigate risks associated with a database, it is essential to consider common sources of database failures. Describe at least two possible database failures that may occur once a database is placed into operation. Suggest actions that may be performed in order to avoid or mitigate these possible failures.

VK’s post states the following:Top of Form

Planning the DBLC

            The database life cycle is intended to show the stages that are followed to ensure that operations are efficient and adequately secured. The first stage includes the initial study of the database. In this phase, the decision on what the objectives are made about the database. In some cases, when the database is for sales, there is no clue on what the concept will entail (Hussein & Hassan, 2016). The second phase, which is database design, is where the physical design takes place. There exists a layout for the database, and the components for the design, like the software, hardware, data access language, and hardware, among other factors, are expected. Another step includes evaluation and testing. In the phase, it is anticipated that the database will be tested. If it is not tested properly, there can be issues with usage and connections. What will follow will be the operation phase, where there is the production of information. It should be noted that the users will be unable to use the database if it is not operational (Coronel & Morris, 2016). The last step is the evolution and the maintenance phase. During this final stage, there is the introduction of changes. The database will not function correctly if the other steps are not fixed. 

Database Failures

            The first database failure that may occur once the database is installed would be problems with the network system. There can be lost connections between the database server and the client. The other issue is statement failure, where the database system is not able to carry out the statement that has been given to it (Barga, & Lomet, 2008). Therefore, to mitigate the shortcomings of the database, a proper plan is required to recover from the failures. At the same time, a good back up is an excellent way of recovering from these two failures since the data is extremely crucial. The data will then be reloaded from the backup in case it is lost/destroyed. 

References

Barga, R., & Lomet, D. B. (2008). U.S. Patent No. 7,386,557. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Coronel, C., & Morris, S. (2016). Database systems: design, implementation, & management. Cengage Learning.

Hussein, D., & Hassan, A. (2016). Creating relational databases to design a large database application system and departmental target responsibility system.

NH’s post states the following:Top of Form

The development of a database requires thorough methodology that ensures quality within the solution. Imagine you have been contracted to develop a finance database that will help an organization track monthly expenditures by departments. Using the DBLC, discuss the various activities that you would have to achieve each phase. Assess possible challenges that may exist within each phase. Suggest actions that one can perform in order to overcome these possible challenges.

DB Initial study – In the initial phase the company position and condition is analyzed.  Any current problems and constrain are brought forth and the objective, scope and boundaries are defined. During this phase the logical and physical design is also created.  If the systems scope and the company’s objective is not clearly defined this will definitely cause a challenge and the design may not be affective.

Database design – During this phase the theoretical design is created.  According to computerprofessor.com the data base analysis & its requirements [determine end user views, connection processing requirements and required output] is the conceptual design. This phase also includes entity relationship modeling, data model verification and the distributed database design.  A challenge that may be presented is a physical one.  The company must design whether the data will be distributed at different location because the media throughput may be affected. 

Implementation and Loading – Install DBMS, create database and load converted data.  Implementation and loading phase address performance, security, backup and recovery methods, integrity and company standard. Some of the challenges you can run into during this phase is figuring out the kind of software you may want to use for your backup and recovery.  Performance is another challenge that may be affected by the size of the database. 

Training and Evaluation – Test and fine tune the database.  Evaluate database and the application required.  Train and support end users.  This is known to occur in analogous form with the applications and programming.  If you do not have a test environment set up that somewhat simulates your production environment, this may be a bit challenging.  

The test environment is needed to run scenarios, fine tune, modify physical and logical designs, make suggestion in reference to upgrading software/hardware and etc.

Operations – This is the phase where the database is considered operational, assuming that is has passed the evaluation and testing phase. This phase may lead into more troubleshooting/tweaking the database.  Operations phase my expose issues that were not necessarily seen or anticipated in the testing phase.  Issues that may occur during this phase is normally minor.  A challenge that one may run into during this phase is having to increase available cache. 

Maintenance and evaluation – This is the phase where the DBA must perform routine maintenance activities periodically with the DB environment it considers about preventive maintenance (backup), Corrective maintenance, adaptive maintenance, access permissions periodic security ect. (computerprofesor.com).  A challenge that the dba may run into is not being consistence nor keeping track of the maintenance.  

In order to mitigate risks associated with a database, it is essential to consider common sources of database failures. Describe at least two possible database failures that may occur once a database is placed into operation. Suggest actions that may be performed in order to avoid or mitigate these possible failures.

A database failure that may occur during operations is a database that has been hacked. If your database has been hacked its because most likely there are vulnerabilities in your database.  One of the ways to strengthen the security of the database is keeping up with the scheduled patches that must be applied to the database. 

Power failure can also lead to the failure of a database.  Power failure can lead to hardware failure.  These components can include the servers that the databases are located on. During this time, hopefully the company has an affective backup just in case the power failure affected the database and recovery is needed.