IRM4723 Assignment 3 (DETAILED ANSWERS) 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

IRM4723 Assignment 3 (DETAILED ANSWERS) 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references ,..... Question 1 [28] Regardless of the organisation, the database’s predominant role is to support managerial decision making at all levels in the organisation while preserving data privacy and security. 1.1 Describe each of the three levels of management that usually exist in an organisation. 6 1.2 What kind of decision support does a database management system (DBMS) give to the first level YOU mentioned? NB: Name the level first and then provide the answer in each case. 10 1.3 What kind of decision support does a database management Systems (DBMS) give to the second level YOU mentioned? 6 1.4 What kind of decision support does a database management Systems (DBMS) give to the third level YOU mentioned? 6 Question 2 [11] In DBMS, locking methods are one of the most common techniques used in concurrency control because they facilitate the isolation of data items used in concurrently executing transactions. 2.1 What is concurrency control? 2 2.2 A deadlock is a condition where two or more transactions wait indefinitely for the other to release the lock on a previously locked data item. Give and briefly describe three ways in which you can control deadlocks in a DBMS. 9 4 Question 3 [33] In terms of database management strategies, a distributed database management system (DDBMS) approach is particularly desirable because centralised database management often faces significant problems. Distributed database concepts and components are likely to play a key role in future database development, especially for specialised mobile and location-aware applications, as internet bandwidth improves. The success of the Internet and mobile technologies may further encourage the use of distributed databases, reducing bandwidth-related bottlenecks. 3.1 What is a distributed database management system (DDBMS)? 3 3.2 Despite its desirability, a DDBMS has both advantages and disadvantages. Briefly identify and describe the advantages of a DDBMS. 16 3.3 Provide and briefly describe the disadvantages of a DDBMS. 14 Question 4 [32] Cloud computing has become a “game changer” for database technologies because it eliminates financial and technological barriers so organisations can leverage database technologies in their business processes with minimal effort and cost. Cloud computing has revolutionised database technologies by removing financial and technological obstacles, allowing organisations to integrate these technologies into their business processes with minimal effort and cost. It has hence become a “game changer”. Nevertheless, it has a number of advantages and disadvantages, even though the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. 4.1 Give the definition of cloud computing according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 4 4.2 Identify and briefly describe each of the main advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing in terms of the services it can provide. 28 IRM4723/103/3//2024 5 Part B: Assignment 03 (self-assessment: Do not submit) Question 1 [27] 1.1 Identify the main phases of the database lifecycle and the actions associated with each of them. [12] 1.2 With respect to database transaction management and concurrence control, discuss the ACID test. [8] 1.3 Discuss the relationship between DBMS performance tuning and query optimisation. [7] Question 2 [8] 2.1 What is the difference between metadata and metadata management? [4] 2.2 What are the advantages of metadata management to organisations?