In: Computer Science
Discuss the three-schema architecture and its benefits for database development and design.
The three-schema architecture is an idea in the relational
database design that divides or breaks down the data base into
three regions / parts on the basis of it's use and structure , and
to the roles played by the system administrators,designers and end
users.The first of the three levels is called the external level or
user level.This is the view of the relational database that the end
user sees and it contains high level of abstraction.The second
level is the logical schema or conceptual schema where the designer
works.The third level is the physical schema or the physical
level,where the programmers maintains a database on a hardware
system.This three-schema architecture is generally attributed to
the ANSI/SPARC group so it sometimes called as ANSI/SPARC
architecture.
Benefits :
Part of the usage of the three-schema architecture is to look at how the design maintenance differs from the core system maintenance. Example, items dealing with database tables and queries belong in the conceptual or logical schema, where issues such as memory handling are looked at in the physical level. Some IT experts talk about the three-schema architecture in the context of changing levels without affecting other levels or in terms of data independence. In addition, the three-schema architecture also performs a breakdown of the core duties of database designers, network administrators or server maintenance teams.