Data analysis for modern information systems
analyst to gain value from the information that it contains. direct impact on all subsequent stages of development. The definition of the data model is therefore central to the analysis from both a structured and an Object Oriented perspective.
The course presents a set of techniques (Entity/Relationship, normalisation), aimed at design of an independent data model from each specific technological development environment. It also introduces the fundamentals for deriving an object class diagram using UML notation. Learning, which takes place through a combination of theoretical sessions and classroom exercises, does not require as a prerequisite no particular knowledge in the IT field. At the end of the course, some considerations are made on the implementation of the conceptual model in actual databases, with particular reference to relational environments and some notes on data warehousing.
Contents
The role of data in business information systems, database design
Entities, relationships, attributes, domains, candidate and primary keys, specialisation hierarchies
Images, sounds, complex objects
Structure and data manipulation, correspondence with the Entity/Relationship model
The process of normalisation, functional dependencies, normal forms (from first to fifth normal form)
Data identification and collection, description and naming conventions, conceptual analytical and synthesis schemes
Techniques and approaches, elimination of redundancies and other "physical" characteristics of existing archives, determination of keys and relationships, entity integration.
Integration of project models into business or area models, ownership and information sharing issues - historical data management
Comparison with Entity/Relationship
Derivation of the logical model and its optimisation, the star schema of the data warehouse