1. Data and Database Administration
CS263 Lecture 15

2. Job definitions
Data Administration: A high-level function that is responsible for the overall management of data resources in an organization, including maintaining corporate-wide definitions and standards
Database Administration: A technical function that is responsible for physical database design and for dealing with technical issues such as security enforcement, database performance, and backup and recovery
Often some mixture of these duties

3. Data administration functions
Data policies, procedures, standards
Planning
Data conflict (ownership) resolution
Internal marketing of DA concepts
Managing the data repository

4. Database administration functions
Selection of hardware and software
Installing/upgrading DBMS
Tuning database performance
Improving query processing performance
Managing data security, privacy, and integrity
Data backup and recovery

5. Data warehouse administration
New role, coming with the growth in data warehouses
Similar to DA/DBA roles
Emphasis on integration and coordination of metadata/data across many data sources
Specific roles:
Support decision –support applications
Manage data warehouse growth
Establish service level agreements regarding data warehouses and data marts

6. Database security
Protection of the data against accidental or intentional loss, destruction, or misuse
Increased difficulty due to Internet access and client/server technologies

7. Possible locations of data security threats

8. Threats to data security can come from:
Accidental losses - attributable to Human error, software or hardware failure – tackle using procedures on user authorisation, uniform software installation procedures, hardware maintenance schedules
Theft and fraud – attention should be focussed on all the locations in the previous Fig. (control of physical access, firewalls etc.)
Loss of privacy (personal data) and loss of confidentiality (corporate data)
Loss of data integrity – invalid/corrupt data – need established backup/recovery procedures
Loss of availability (through, e.g. sabotage)

9. Data management software should have these security features:
Views or subschemas which restrict user views of the database (discussed previously)
Integrity controls which are enforced by the DBMS during querying and updating
Authorization rules identifying users and restricting actions they can take
User-defined procedures defining additional constraints
Encryption procedures for encoding data in an unrecognisable form
Backup, journalizing, and checkpointing capabilities which facilitate recovery procedures

10. Views and integrity controls
Views - subset of the database that is presented to one or more users -user can be given access privilege to view without allowing access privilege to underlying tables
Integrity Controls - protect data from unauthorized use
One type = Domain – create a user-defined data type and set allowable values. E.g. the PriceChangeDomain can be used as the datatype in any database field (such as PriceIncrease and PriceDiscount) to limit the amount prices can be changed in one transaction:

11. Integrity controls CREATE DOMAIN PriceChange AS DECIMAL
CHECK(VALUE BETWEEN .001 and 0.15);
Then, in a pricing transaction table, we could have:
PriceIncrease PriceChange NOT NULL
One advantage of a domain is that if it ever has to change, it can be cahnged in one place (the domain definition) – if instead we used CHECK then we would have to go to every instance of CHECK and change it

12. Integrity controls
Assertions are constraints enforcing desirable database conditions – they are checked automatically by the DBMS when transactions are run involving tables or fields on which assertions exist. E.g., assume that an EMPLOYEE table has fields of Emp_ID, Emp_Name, Supervisor_ID and Spouse_ID, and that a company rule is that no employee may supervise his or her spouse:
CREATE ASSERTION SpousalSupervision
CHECK (SupervisorID < > SpouseID)

13. Integrity controls
Triggers (which include an event, a condition and an action) can be used for security purposes)
The powerful benefit of a trigger (also domains) is that that the DBMS enforces these controls for all users and all database activities – the control does not have to be coded into each query or program – so individual users and programs cannot circumvent the necessary controls

14. Authorization rules
Are controls incorporated in the data management system that restrict access to data and actions that people can take on data
Authorization matrix includes subjects, objects, actions and constraints
Each row of the table indicates that a particular subject is authorised to take a certain action on an object in the database (perhaps subject to some constraint)
Following fig shows authorisation matrix where anyone in the Sales Department can insert a new customer record into the database, providing the credit limit does not exceed $5000

15. Authorization matrix

16. Authorisation tables
Many DBMS do not implement authorisation matrices but used simplified versions – two types – authorisation tables for subjects and authorisation tables for objects (see following Fig.)
In the table for subjects, we can see that salespersons are allowed to modify customer records but not delete those records
In the table for objects, we can see that users in Order Entry or Accounting can modify order records, but salespersons cannot

17. Authorization table for subjects
Authorization table for objects
Oracle8i privileges
Some DBMSs also provide capabilities for user-defined procedures to customize the authorization process

18. Authentication Schemes
Goal – obtain a positive identification of the user
Passwords are flawed:
Users share them with each other
They get written down, could be copied
Automatic logon scripts remove need to explicitly type them in
Unencrypted passwords travel the Internet
Possible solutions:
Biometric devices – use of fingerprints, retinal scans, etc. for positive ID
Third-party authentication – using secret keys, digital certificates

19. Database Recovery
Mechanism for restoring a database quickly and accurately after loss or damage
Recovery facilities:
Backup Facilities
Journalizing Facilities
Checkpoint Facility
Recovery Manager

20. Backup Facilities
Automatic dump facility that produces backup copy of the entire database
Periodic backup (e.g. nightly, weekly)
Cold backup – database is shut down during backup
Hot backup – selected portion is shut down and backed up at a given time
Backups stored in secure, off-site location

21. Journalizing Facilities
Audit trail of transactions and database updates
Transaction log – record of essential data for each transaction processed against the database
Database change log – images of updated data
Before-image – copy before modification
After-image – copy after modification
Produces an audit trail

22. Figure 12-6: Database audit trail
From the backup and logs, databases can be restored in case of damage or loss

23. Checkpoint Facilities
DBMS periodically refuses to accept new transactions
 system is in a quiet state
Database and transaction logs are synchronized
This allows recovery manager to resume processing from short period, instead of repeating entire day

24. Recovery and Restart Procedures
Switch - Mirrored databases
Restore/Rerun - Reprocess transactions against the backup
Transaction Integrity - Commit or abort all transaction changes
Backward Recovery (Rollback) - Apply before images
Forward Recovery (Roll Forward) - Apply after images (preferable to restore/rerun)

25. Figure 12-7: Basic recovery techniques
(a) Rollback

26. Figure 12-7(b) Rollforward

27. Database Failure Responses
Aborted transactions
Preferred recovery: rollback
Alternative: Rollforward to state just prior to abort
Incorrect data
Alternative 1: re-run transactions not including inaccurate data updates
Alternative 2: compensating transactions
System failure (database intact)
Preferred recovery: switch to duplicate database
Alternative 1: rollback
Alternative 2: restart from checkpoint
Database destruction
Alternative 1: rollforward
Alternative 2: reprocess transactions

28. Concurrency Control
Problem – in a multi-user environment, simultaneous access to data can result in interference and data loss
Solution – Concurrency Control
The process of managing simultaneous operations against a database so that data integrity is maintained and the operations do not interfere with each other in a multi-user environment.

29. Figure 12-8: LOST UPDATE
Simultaneous access causes updates to cancel each other
A similar problem is the inconsistent read problem

30. Concurrency Control Techniques
Serializability –
Finish one transaction before starting another
Locking Mechanisms
The most common way of achieving serialization
Data that is retrieved for the purpose of updating is locked for the updater
No other user can perform update until unlocked

31. Figure 12-9: Updates with locking for concurrency control
This prevents the lost update problem

32. Locking Mechanisms Locking level:
Database – used during database updates
Table – used for bulk updates
Block or page – very commonly used
Record – only requested row; fairly commonly used
Field – requires significant overhead; impractical
Types of locks:
Shared lock - Read but no update permitted. Used when just reading to prevent another user from placing an exclusive lock on the record
Exclusive lock - No access permitted. Used when preparing to update

33. Deadlock Figure 12-11 A deadlock situation
An impasse that results when two or more transactions have locked common resources, and each waits for the other to unlock their resources
Figure 12-11
A deadlock situation
UserA and UserB will wait forever for each other to release their locked resources!

34. Managing Deadlock Deadlock prevention:
Lock all records required at the beginning of a transaction
Two-phase locking protocol
Growing phase
Shrinking phase
May be difficult to determine all needed resources in advance
Deadlock Resolution:
Allow deadlocks to occur
Mechanisms for detecting and breaking them
Resource usage matrix

35. Versioning Optimistic approach to concurrency control
Instead of locking
Assumption is that simultaneous updates will be infrequent
Each transaction can attempt an update as it wishes
The system will reject an update when it senses a conflict
Use of rollback and commit for this

36. Figure 12-12: the use of versioning
Better performance than locking

37. Managing Data Quality
Data Steward - Liaisons between IT and business units
Five Data Quality Issues:
Security policy and disaster recovery
Personnel controls
Physical access controls
Maintenance controls (hardware & software)
Data protection and privacy

38. Data Dictionaries and Repositories
Data dictionary
Documents data elements of a database
System catalog
System-created database that describes all database objects
Information Repository
Stores metadata describing data and data processing resources
Information Repository Dictionary System (IRDS)
Software tool managing/controlling access to information repository

39. Figure 12-13: Three components of the repository system architecture
A schema of the repository information
Software that manages the repository objects
Where repository objects are stored
Source: adapted from Bernstein, 1996.

40. Database Performance Tuning
DBMS Installation
Setting installation parameters
Memory Usage
Set cache levels
Choose background processes
Input/Output Contention
Use striping
Distribution of heavily accessed files
CPU Usage
Monitor CPU load
Application tuning
Modification of SQL code in applications