Roles and Users in a Database Environment

Actors on the Scene

• Day-to-day users whose jobs involve directly using and managing the database

• Work with the data

Database Administrator (DBA)

• responsible for overall management of the database

• Typically have a support staff to help with responsibilities

• Administering primary and secondary resources

• Authorizing access to the database

• Coordinating and monitoring use of database

• Acquiring hardware and software resources as needed

Responsibilities of DBA

Database Designers

• identify the data that needs to be stored and choose the most appropriate structures to represent it

• communicate with end users to understand their requirements and then design a database that meets those needs.

End Users

people who access the database for querying, updating, and generating reports

System Analysts

Work with end users to determine their requirements and develop specifications for the canned transactions.

Application programmers

• implement, test, debug, and maintain these transactions.

Canned Transactions

are pre-programmed, standardized set of database operations that automates a repetitive task.

Casual Users

• Users who access the database occasionally, such as middle or high-level managers.

Naive/Parametric Users

Users who constantly query and update the database using pre-programmed "canned transactions" (e.g., bank tellers, reservation agents)

Sophisticated Users

• Users such as engineers, scientists, and business analysts who are familiar with the DBMS and can formulate their own complex queries.

Stand-alone Users

• Users who maintain personal databases using ready-made program packages.

WORKERS BEHIND THE SCENE

• Technical personnel who work on the DBMS software and its environment

System Designers & Implementers

• These are the experts who design and implement the core DBMS modules and interfaces as a software package.

Tool Developers

• create the software packages and tools that work with the DBMS, such as performance monitoring tools, CASE tools, and graphical user interfaces.

Operators & Maintenance Personnel

• This team is responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the hardware and software environment where the database system resides