Fluent Essays

History proves that data is the most valuable resource available in corporate America? Why do you think so? Where in a historical context do you think these roots come from?C H A P T E R 1 DATA: THE NEW CORPORATE RESOURCE T he development of database management systems, as well as the development of modern computers, came about as a result of society’s recognition of the crucial importance of storing, managing, and retrieving its rapidly expanding volumes of business data. To understand how far we have come in this regard, it is important to know where we began and how the concept of managing data has developed. This chapter begins with the historical background of the storage and uses of data and then continues with a discussion of the importance of data to the modern corporation. OBJECTIVES ■ Explain why humankind’s interest in data dates back to ancient times. ■ Describe how data needs have historically driven many information technology developments. ■ Describe the evolution of data storage media during the last century. ■ Relate the idea of data as a corporate resource that can be used to gain a competitive advantage to the development of the database management systems environment. CHAPTER OUTLINE Introduction The History of Data The Origins of Data Data Through the Ages Early Data Problems Spawn Calculating Devices Swamped with Data Modern Data Storage Media Data in Today’s Information Systems Environment Using Data for Competitive Advantage Problems in Storing and Accessing Data Data as a Corporate Resource The Database Environment Summary 2 C h a p t e r 1 Data: The New Corporate Resource INTRODUCTION What a fascinating world we live in today! Technological advances are all around us in virtually every aspect of our daily lives. From cellular telephones to satellite television to advanced aircraft to modern medicine to computers—especially computers—high tech is with us wherever we look. Businesses of every description and size rely on computers and the information systems they support to a degree that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago. Businesses routinely use automated manufacturing and inventory-control techniques, automated financial transaction procedures, and high-tech marketing tools. As consumers, we take for granted being able to call our banks, insurance companies, and department stores to instantly get up-to-the-minute information on our accounts. And everyone, businesses and consumers alike, has come to rely on the Internet for instant worldwide communications. Beneath the surface, the foundation for all of this activity is data: the stored facts that we need to manage all of our human endeavors. This book is about data. It’s about how to think about data in a highly organized and deliberate way. It’s about how to store data efficiently and how to retrieve it effectively. It’s about ways of managing data so that the exact data that we need will be there when we need it. It’s about the concept of assembling data into a highly organized collection called a ‘‘database’’ and about the sophisticated software known as a ‘‘database management system’’ that c