A database is a collection of related information that is organized in a database management system where the data can be retrieved by organizations to aid them in making strategic business decisions. The information from these databases are organized and collected in ways to help an organization retrieve the needed data with ease. Data warehouse, data mart, three-tier architecture and active service pages (ASP) are data concepts that are used for data organization in a database. A data warehouse stores all the meaningful information that a business accumulates.
The information in a data warehouse must not only make data available to organizations, but accessing the information must also be efficient. Data warehousing is comprised of stored information in a database from an organization’s activities. This database was developed to store information that would aid a business in making tactical assessments. A data warehouse does not normally hold current information on individual business activities. Data warehouses were created for the main purpose of improving a business’ data triage and reporting.
Organizations rely on a data warehouse because there is a greater chance of transactions being completed in a specified time limit. In a data warehouse there are ways of modeling data that would allow querying and reporting of information to be faster. A data warehouse enables an individual that is not technically knowledgeable to write simple queries and reports. Data warehousing allows an organization to bring together vital information in order to make decisions that could affect the future of a business.
While a data warehouse is a collection of information from all departments, a data mart is an extract from the data warehouse. A data mart is smaller, more focused information collected from each department in an organization. This information helps departmental managers make decisions concerning the business conducted within their department. The immediate needs of a user are taken into consideration when a data mart is being developed. A data mart is specific and designed for the needs of a particular department.
The data for a data mart is normally collected after he users in a department are interviewed and their requirements are compiled. Although a data mart and a data warehouse are used to make strategic business decisions, they are not the same. Data warehouses contain vast amounts of data for all the departments in an organization; the information contained in a data mart is only for a particular department. Three-tier architecture is a combination of databases, resource managers, and mainframe applications.
For security reasons, in a three-tier model, a middle server is added between the database and client. In a three-tier model, the first tier’s component is responsible for presentation and user interaction. These components allow the user to interact with the second tier. The second tier of the model manages the business logic and gives access to the third tier. The majority to the processing work is done at this level. Three-tier architecture is used when increased performance and flexibility are desired. An active server page (ASP) is a page that ends in . Asp.
The ASP contains a script that takes information inputted by the client and uses it to build a database query. The appearance of an ASP to a web-browser looks like a HTML page, but to the web- server, HTML tags, text, and server-side scripts are visible. Active server pages can be used for various reasons. ASP can be used to display data in diverse ways. Active server pages are a technology that allows for interactive sessions with the user. Data warehouses, data marts, three-tier architecture, and active server pages are all ways to control information either from a database or a web page.
Data warehouses are a collection point for all meaningful data collected by a business; a compilation of information from each department in an organization. A data mart is the information collected from each department. Three-tier architecture is designed for security, flexibility, and performance. Each tier must be accessed by going through the previous tier. This architecture ensures security. Active server pages were developed to create an interactive relationship with the user. Upon reading the above information, it is my hope that I have helped to advance the understanding of a workplace application architecture known as a database.
