Intelligent Database
Encyclopedia
Until the 1980s, databases were viewed as computer systems that stored record oriented and business type data such as manufacturing inventories, bank records, sales transactions, etc. A database
system was not expected to merge numeric data with text, images, or multimedia
information, nor was it expected to automatically notice patterns in the data it stored. In the late 1980’s the concept of an “Intelligent Database” was put forward as a system that manages information (rather than data) in a way that appears natural to users and which goes beyond simple record keeping.
The term Intelligent Database was introduced in 1989 by the book “Intelligent Databases” by Kamran Parsaye, Mark Chignell
, Setrag Khoshafian and Harry Wong
. This concept postulated three levels of intelligence for such systems: 1. high level tools, 2. the user interface
and 3. the database engine
. The high level tools manage data quality and automatically discover relevant patterns in the data with a process called data mining
. This layer often relies on the use of artificial intelligence
techniques. The user interface uses hypermedia
in a form that uniformly manages text, images and numeric data. The intelligent database engine supports the other two layers, often merging relational database
techniques with object orientation.
In the twenty first century, intelligent databases have now become widespread, e.g. hospital databases can now call up patient histories consisting of charts, text and x-ray images just with a few mouse clicks, and many corporate databases include decision support tools based on sales pattern analysis, etc.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
system was not expected to merge numeric data with text, images, or multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
information, nor was it expected to automatically notice patterns in the data it stored. In the late 1980’s the concept of an “Intelligent Database” was put forward as a system that manages information (rather than data) in a way that appears natural to users and which goes beyond simple record keeping.
The term Intelligent Database was introduced in 1989 by the book “Intelligent Databases” by Kamran Parsaye, Mark Chignell
Mark Chignell
Mark Chignell is a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, Canada and the Director of its Interactive Media Lab. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies. He joined the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor of...
, Setrag Khoshafian and Harry Wong
Harry Wong
Harry K. Wong is an educator, educational speaker and author. His works include The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher and New Teacher Induction, as well as a variety of CD-Audio and DVD-format resources for teachers...
. This concept postulated three levels of intelligence for such systems: 1. high level tools, 2. the user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
and 3. the database engine
Database engine
A database engine is the underlying software component that a database management system uses to create, read, update and delete data from a database....
. The high level tools manage data quality and automatically discover relevant patterns in the data with a process called data mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
. This layer often relies on the use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
techniques. The user interface uses hypermedia
Hypermedia
Hypermedia is a computer-based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain or provide access to texts, audio and video recordings, photographs and computer graphics related to a particular subject.Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson....
in a form that uniformly manages text, images and numeric data. The intelligent database engine supports the other two layers, often merging relational database
Relational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
techniques with object orientation.
In the twenty first century, intelligent databases have now become widespread, e.g. hospital databases can now call up patient histories consisting of charts, text and x-ray images just with a few mouse clicks, and many corporate databases include decision support tools based on sales pattern analysis, etc.