TABLE OF CONTENTS There are a number of database management issues that cannot be taken care of by the DBMS itself. They are, however, very important to organizations utilizing database systems.
The first issue is that of data accuracy. The adage garbage in, garbage out applies well to the use of databases, so great care must be taken to ensure that all original data input is accurate, and that any changes are updated on the database immediately.
Security is another important concern. Data may be sensitive, and the economic consequences of a massive loss of information, if the database were hacked into and wiped, could be enormous. It is therefore essential that adequate security measures (passwords, etc.) are set up when the system is initially installed.
An issue that has come to light over the past few years is the social impact of database systems. The fact that a large amount of information relating to people's lives can be stored and accessed is not an idea that everybody is comfortable with. Although this is not strictly relevant to manufacturing databases, in an integrated system including employee details the people factor cannot be ignored. Legislation concerning this area includes the Data Protection Act (1984) in the UK, entitling any person access to data pertaining to themselves held on an electronic system.
The final problem regarding the use of databases to store large amounts of information is that everything held on it becomes encapsulated knowledge. This means that when...
