Database Management: Application in School Environment - Essay Example

Database Management: Application in School EnvironmentIntroduction Database Management facilitates adding new, retrieving or modifying data within a database. In general, the user of a database management system modifies the database through a set of special query instructions written in high level programming language. A series of programs that processes request from users into machine directives essential to access, add, change, or remove a record from a database. The actual mechanics of locating and processing of data elements carried out by a database processing programs.

The chart below demonstrates the sequence of processing.Using Database in SchoolIn an environment like a school, we are using DAO (Data Access Objects), ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) with the Jet Database Engine to access data from a variety of databases. It allows us to access our Microsoft Access database and any other ODBC compliant data source. The various departments who have access and benefiting from these database are the following:a) Registrar’s Office b) Accounting Department c) Property and Maintenance Office d) Office of Student Affairs e) Guidance and Counselling Office f) College Departments such as BA, AB, ENG’G etc. g) School Administration and Management Office h) School Library The processing starts with the Registrar’s office using the Students Database located in a dedicated fileserver to store student’s records such as student number and other personal details, level, curriculum, and room assignments.

An automated system enables swift and accurate processing of student data including subject and room assignments. It is also a shared database linked and being use by the Accounting Department to process student’s tuition fees and automatically compute various miscellaneous charges. Connected to this database, the Accounting Department is capable tracking down delinquent accounts, instalments and able to give instant discounts to those students paying in full. They are also capable of fast and accurate fee adjustments whenever required.

The benefits of various colleges from this centralized database are the ability to process real time reports such as student list, faculty loading and room assignments. They can also instantly but accurately process student’s grades at the end of every school semester and retrieve necessary information whenever required. The same benefit goes to the Students Affairs and the Guidance and Counselling Offices when processing student’s performance and extra curricular activities. The school management on the other hand, particularly Property and Maintenance Department, keep track of student’s population and requirements.

Properly informed, they are synchronizing their services to basic students needs such as chairs, tables, books etc. The school management are properly making decisions and forecast activities based on reports generated by these database management systems. The most popular and probably widely use in any school is the Library Database. Our library is using this separate database for automated cataloguing system. This is very helpful to students and faculty members looking for a specific reference book.

The system using the keyword supplied by the user searches the database and returns the exact location of the book and other details. For the school library management, they keep track of books borrowed or returned and effectively update their books inventory in no time. Conclusion The Database Management System greatly improves data processing in school but like any other automated system, the database must be always secure. The data stored in these databases are precious and irreplaceable and therefore improvements in data integrity and security must be implemented and constantly upgrade.

The school should also invest on back-up media storage and in the latest, more reliable databases as the volume of data grows, and getting more and more complicated. It is therefore necessary to review the overall status of our existing database system and formulate a better but economical plan.References:Roman S., 1999, Access Database Design & Programming, 2nd Edition, ISBN, 1-56592-626-9