Essay Sample on Database Models: Stability and Ability for Data Usage

Introduction

A database model is a method that dictates the logical design and setting of a database and predicts the ease in which data can be stored, retrieved, and updated in case of need. Many organizations and institutions like a hospital that relies on extensive use of a specific database model that best suit the needs of their operation. The most significant factor that determines whether the database model used is its stability and ability to be able to support how data is handled. However, it is essential to note that some institution may use multiple models which have different database design process. Selecting a data model all depends on the nature of the database model, which includes speed, traffic, cost, or ease of use (Holmes, 2019). There are several types of database models, but the most common database models that are mostly used are, Entity-relationship model, hierarchical model, and network model.

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Entity-Relationship Model

This is a type of database model in which relationships between objects are formed by separating the purpose into an entity and its nature into attributes. Entries in this sense are objects found in the real world that exists independently and can be distinguished from objects of a different kind. Entries hold particular information, while relationships are similarities or associations between entities. Distinguishable entities are, therefore, similar according to the relationship between them. The major components in this type of database model are entity sets and the relationships they have. An entity set can be best defined as entities of a similar nature, each having attributes. From this concept, entry relationship diagrams can, therefore, be created, which highlights the relationships between entity sets (Elmasri and Navathe, 2017). For instance, if we have two entities, if the relationship between student and college is established, a college can have many students, but at the same time, a student cannot learn in more than one college. Student entity can possess characteristics about students such as student identity ( Stu_ID), student name (Stu_Name), and their addresses (Stu_Addr) while the college entity can have characteristics like college identity( Col_ID) and College Name(Col_Name). An entity that can be used to represent this relationship can be shown as follows (beginnersbook, 2019).

The different shapes used to highlight the difference clearly. From the model, it is evident that the entity-relationship is best used when designing a database that utilizes a known concept. The entity-relationship has three main attributes that define them, i.e., entity, quality, and relationship.

An entity is shown in the diagram with a rectangle. In the description above, the two entities are student and college. These two have many to one relationship since a couple of students can learn in one college while attribute describes the nature of the entity and is representing by Oval shape. On the other hand, the relationship is shown by the diamond shape, and it shows how the object entities are related. This central problem associated with this model is that it cannot employ as a separate activity; hence, this type of database is therefore mostly used in information systems.

Hierarchical Model

This type of model has the ability to organize the data of interest into a tree looking structure, which has a single root whereby all the other data are linked. The hierarchy originates from the root data and progressively extends outside just like a tree while incorporating child nodes to each parent nodes. Each child note at some stage becomes a parent node except the last ones. It is, therefore, essential to note that each child node can only be linked to one parent node. The model is mostly used in places like libraries or restaurants since they highlight the relationship between items like an index of books and recipes.

The hierarchical model has arranged data into a different level from one main one in a relationship known as one to many relationships as opposed to the network database model. This is a significant difference that distinguishes these two models. In case data is to be retrieved, the analysis starts from the root node. The following diagram illustrates a hierarchical model (Tutorialpoints, 2018).

In the database diagram, an agent can hire different entertainers in which each entertainer is guided by his/her schedule. It is also the sole duty of the agent to serve several clients who desire to be entertained. A client can, therefore, ask for engagement from the agent and make payments for the services. The user of this data should be familiar with how the data is arranged, starting from the root data as he/she progresses down to the needed information. This type of database model is mostly applied where speed is crucial, like in telecommunication and banking services. The main advantage is that data security is ensured while the disadvantage is that complicated relationships are challenging to establish.

Network Model

This is the modification of the hierarchical model; in this model, data can be organized like a graph; therefore, it can be designed to have more than one parent node. This implies that data are so much related as many relationships can be established in the model; this feature makes accessing the data more straightforward and quick. The Network is usually designed for data that have many-to-many relationships. A hierarchy can be created between different types of data in which one data 1 heads the other information 2, therefore ownership is depicted in terms of direction; hence, all data are in a commonly directed graph. It is accurate as this data can be retrieved by the indexing structure of linked lists. The main advantage of this is that it can highlight the redundancy of data in a pleasing way than the hierarchical model, and the user can follow several paths to reach the desired data.

The following data illustrates the working of a Network model (Tutorialspoint, 2018). The agent can serve several clients at the same time, managing different entertainers. Each client, in this case of the network model, schedules any value of engagements needed and can, at the same time, pays the agent. Also, each entertainer can be able to perform several engagements and may also engage in different musical styles. This makes the whole data process and favorable. In the presence of a well laid out set structure, the data can be retrieved. Any root node can be picked, making it possible to access data through any node irrespective of the direction taken, either backward or forward, with the aid of related sets. For instance, if the user decides to identify the agent who was responsible in booking a particular engagement, he/she locates the needed engagement record via the engagement nodes, then identifies the client, he/she locates the needed engagement record via the engagement nodes, then identifies the client responsible for than chosen engagement record. This flexibility is advantageous since it enables data to be accessed fast as compared to the hierarchical database making it more useful in communications systems. However, one problem of this model is that the system is very complicated since the whole system is under the influence of pointers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, each database system has a particular characteristic that defines it based on the type of data to be handled. The decision to choose the best model that suits a specific role, that is, if it to be used in a communication system or information system depends on how fast or eases of use. Choosing the correct model for an application is important because a wrong fit can be costly. However, other applications can use multiple data at the same time.

References

Beginnersbook. (2019, May 15). Entity Relationship Diagram - ER Diagram in DBMS. https://beginnersbook.com/2019/04/e-r-model-in-dbms/

Holmes, K. (2019). What Is a Database?.

Tutorialspoint. (2018, July 23). Hierarchical Database Model. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/Hierarchical-Database-Model

Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2017). Fundamentals of database systems.