Using Database Systems to Anchor Management Support Systems

Abstract

At the beginning of the course (section 1.1), the relevance and importance of database systems to software engineering was mentioned. At this point in the course, this nexus between the two related disciplines of computer science should be very clear to you. This chapter reinforces that understanding even more by introducing the concept of management support systems (MSSs). Next, the chapter revisits a concept that was raised in Chapter 13 (towards the end of section 13.2.3): the idea that for many software systems requiring stringent security mechanisms, the option of incorporating such requirements into the underlying database design is a viable alternative. This will be followed by a discussion of a case study and some insights into selected MSS project ideas. The chapter advances through the following sections.