Re: database integrity

"Tony Andrews" <andrewst_at_onetel.com> wrote in message news:1116507337.775726.148290_at_f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> mountain man wrote:
>> Q1: What is database integrity?
>>
>> A1: A measure of the self-referential consistency of all
>> the relations existent between the physical data elements
>> defined in the schema of a database.
>>
>> Any disagreements, improvements, comments?
>
> Some thoughts:

Thanks.

> - you use the word "relation" in the sense of "relationship", and not
> in the relational sense ("relation" ~= "table"), which could be
> confusing

I was trying to be general in the sense that the database need not be a relational database, and in which case, the "integrity" (which are trying to define), is not necessarily maintained by the DBMS.

> - why "physical" data elements? Integrity is logical surely?

I guess integrity is a logical concept, but when it fails it fails with reference to specific physical data exceptions.

> So perhaps, and with additional simplifications:
>
> A2: A measure of the consistency of the relationships between the data
> elements defined in a database.

I appreciate the simplifications.

When the issue of data integrity is raised in ppls minds it represents many things dependent upon their experience.

To those who are engaged in the development of new systems that avail themselves of the relational model of the data as it is enforced in the modern RDBMS software, data integrity is usually completely assured due to:
1) the operational transaction based stability of the RDBMS s/w, 2) data integrity enforcement via a number of options

However, there are a vast number of organisations who, because of their size, or historical development (or lack thereof), or other reasons, do not run the modern RDBMS software. Data integrity issues in this environment clearly exist, and can be critical.

As a consequence, I believe it is important to constantly attempt to gauge the level of data integrity at any and every different client database site. Do you consider this an important exercise?

Is the measure of integrity an issue in your organisation's database? If it is, how do you go about increasing the level of this integrity?

Finally, are there any here who think that database integrity is a theoretical concept only, in that it may always be treated as being measured at the 100% level due to the "new relational technology"?

Thanks for any further thoughts.

Pete Brown
Falls Creek
Oz
www.mountainman.com.au Received on Thu May 19 2005 - 16:13:08 CEST