WXGB6105: Technologies for Information Management

3^rd entry

Relational Database, Text Retrieval Systems

As a non tech-savvy person, using the RDBMS and TRS technologies has been a very challenging experience for me. And honestly, because this is part of the course under the library and information science masters program I am currently studying, so I am not going to give up!

Using these technologies for the first time was like learning to drive (I failed 4 times before I got my driver’s license). Microsoft Access and CDS/ISIS are both totally new to me. It takes a while for me to get familiar with how they work. It was quite frustrating at first when I was not able to solve the problems. But with notes and handbook available as a guide, it was a great help. As usual, I would also google for information and sometimes I could get information that was useful in accomplishing my task.

Microsoft Office Access, an application software, is useful for handling large amounts of records in a “many-to-many relationships” and “one-to-many relationships” which would otherwise take hours to organize and sort. Information or data is stored in different file folders and data can be extracted from the files and combined when needed. It allows manipulating and managing information of a particular project through the creation of reports. As an example, records of library patrons such as address, age, sex, telephone number, email address, membership expiry date are listed in the Microsoft Office Access database. Some of the information can be extracted by creating a report. Microsoft Access’ benefits is that it can create databases accurately and maintaining its integrity. Integrity of data is important and Microsoft Access does that through wizards and templates (from lecture notes).

As for the CDS/ISIS text retrieval system, I find the formatting language for the purpose of printing and displaying record unfriendly. I’ve read through the CDS/ISIS handbook until Chapter 6 on “data entry” and the even after having read the chapter on “formatting language” and trying to put them into practice over the weekend, I was not able to write a successful print format for MARC. Well, maybe I would have to read through again and try a few more times until successful. If not, then I’ll just use the print assistant.

As I worked on the exercises for the CDS/ISIS, I wondered how it can be used for the library where I work. Some of the issues or matters for consideration that came to my mind were:

      -      The training needed in order to use it effectively and to its full advantage.

-      With about 26,000 bibliographic records on books alone (not including journals), this would be an extremely, enormously time consuming work unless data can be imported (with regard to the library system where I work).

One immediate advantage I see in CDS/ISIS is its ability to handle variable length records. The library system where I work handles fixed length record (fixed length author entry field, fixed length title entry field, which are the two most important items in a bibliographic data). However, before purchasing or changing library system, there are more aspects that need consideration.

Differences between a Relational Database Management Systems and a Text-Retrieval Systems (Noorhidawati Abdullah 2011):

Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS)	Text-Retrieval Systems (TRS)
Data are organized in related rows and columns which form a table. A database may have more than one table and its data are related. The organized data can be combined. Example of a RDBMS: Microsoft Office Access	Databases consists mainly text, structured and non-numerical. Texts, or data elements, are entered into databases in predetermined fields and subfields and these form a record. It is not a relational database management system. Example: CDS/ISIS for Windows
Some features (Microsoft Access): Supports many databases (similar with TRS). Can create tables, forms, query and  reports Can create link table. Can perform mass calculation. Can handle large number of records (similar with TRS). The use of wizards and templates helps maintain integrity of data.	Some features of TRS: Support many databases, each database can hold large number of records (similar with RDBMS). Variable length record. Repeatable data. Able to import and export records. Can manage both stand-alone and local network database systems (CDS/ISIS). Advanced users can add new services and tools to the software (CDS/ISIS). Information retrieval using search language (CDS/ISIS). Product such as catalog can be printed using the “sort and print” feature (CDS/ISIS). User can design complex user interfaces through its hypertext functions (CDS/ISIS).

References:

Noorhidawati Abdullah. “Using databases in managing information.” Lecture,
         University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, January 11, 2011.