applications

Setting up an online database Information can be a useful source of revenue

by BOB THOMPSON

0 ver the past ten years literally hundreds of online databases have been created. Some are

available to the general public; others are restricted to private access by personnel within the owning com- pany. However, it is likely that many of the latter will become generally available as owners realise the value of their database.

For those deciding to computerize a database, the hardward must be de- cided upon if the database is to be held internally. Alternatively it could be set up on a bureau system. In the first case, the owner also has to

consider which information retrieval software package to use.

There are dozens of information retrieval packages from which to choose. If the retrieval required is of the simple ‘name, address, product, contact’ kind of information, the

choice is vast and packages can cost no more than &250.

On the other hand, retrieval re- quirements may be extremely com- plex with boolean logic, truncation,

producing sets, combining sets, field searching, bultetin productions, index generation, choice of indexing

method, etc. The choice is then much narrower. To get the precise control of a Thesaurus, the choice is narrower still - only a few systems offer this facility. These highly sophisticated packages can cost up to 53000 to run on a micro and &20000 plus on a min~mainframe.

The use of a bureau deserves seri- ous consideration if:

there are many users who are not all located within the same office, the final storage requirements are very large, the capital cost of a minicomputer is prohibitive, assistance is required in converting existing data to the new package.

Abstract: Holders of information can realise the value of their databases by offe~ng computer access to it. The database can be held on an inhouse computer or O?E a bureau ~ch~ne. There are a number of points whirh help to decide which optzon is best,

Keywords: data process~~g~ database management systems, online database.

Bob Thompson is with RTZ Compurer Ser- vices.

Whether the chosen route is internal or bureau, it is important to ensure that the supplier can offer good train- ing in the use of the product. Training is the area of computing that has tended to be ignored. Users have been happy to spend thousands on software but reluctant to spend hundreds on the training necessary to protect their software investment. This support will have to be paid for and the

~0128 no 5 june 1986 0011-684X/86/050265-02$03.00 0 1986 Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd. 265

applications

industry standard price is generally lo-15% per year of the product pur-

chase price. The final problem to be solved is

perhaps the most significant of all:

how to get existing data into the computer system. If data is on a card index system, who will take the time to index the keywords, to enable successful searching to take place? If the data is to be reorganized for

computerization, who will undertake this task? If the data is already in

computer readable form, i.e. on disc or tape, is there a conversion program to translate the data to suit the com- puter system? Finally, who is going to key the data in, if it was previously all on cards?

As far as getting data into it is concerned, the best type of inform- ation retrieval system is one that will accept large batches of data into an

update. This update can then be run overnight.

Most systems have online docu-

ment entry, where each field is tho- roughly checked on input, but this form of data entry is not suitable for a

typist of average speed to use if masses of data are to be entered. The typist will always be waiting for the computer. It is advisable to find a data entry system outside of the main product that, whilst not doing all the checking done by the main system, will do basic checks like field length, default values, alpha/numeric, date checks etc, thus enabling the typist to

build up speed.

Perhaps more importantly, when the database is of a usable size, it enables searching to take place on one micro while data is being entered into a batch system on another. Transfer via floppy disc can then take place at the user’s convenience.

If a bureau is chosen the problems of data entry are increased. It is no longer advisable to choose a bureau that can offer offline data entry - it is essential.

In this case there is now the added cost of the telephone charges during

data entry. Far better to create the data offline on a micro and transmit a

batch of records, than to type them in, one at a time, online. It is import- ant to ensure that once data has been entered into the information retrieval package the selected bureau can offer easily edited error files. There will be errors on data entry and it is no use being told by the system that the error is in the fifth field of the 32nd record.

What must be insisted upon is an output log giving the error message together with a file containing the

record(s) in error so that both the error file and the log file can be retrieved back to the micro for editing

and future retransmission to the bureau.

One item often overlooked when choosing a bureau is whether the bureau has an error checking data- transmission program. It is important to know that what has been received by the bureau is exactly what was sent. Some form of checksum calcula- tion should be built into the bureau data transmission program. This should be insisted upon even if the bureau says it never gets transmission problems.

One situation where it is an advan-

tage to use a bureau is where users are spread throughout the country and the organization does not have suit- able computing and data communica- tions facilities. It is very important that the bureau can offer all forms of data transmission, from 300 bit/s dial- in to the very fastest private connec- tion. In the UK they should also be able to offer a British Telecom packet switching service (PSS) or IPSS if users are international.

Having created a database of in- formation either inhouse on a micro/ mini computer or externally on a bureau, the information on owners may want to recoup some of the investment by selling the information to third parties.

If the system is on a micro, then one way of doing this is to see if the supplier of the software is prepared to

sell his system with the database of information already downloaded. This would give added value to his package and would generate revenue for the information owner.

Alternatively the owner could sell on the data either as a whole or by subject matter, perhaps charging an annual fee for further updates.

If the data is on a bureau it is a simple matter to advertize the data- base to the outside world while arranging a usage fee with the bureau or arranging for all invoices to go to the information owner who passes them on with a (profit) margin.

By the time the database is a year

old many hours will have been spent creating the data and inputting it into the system. Using a bureau the prob- lem of taking regular security copies of the database should not arise as the bureau will take backups at least once

a day. However, on a micro the owner must set up good housekeeping pro- cedures and make sure they are carried out.

In the early stages of setting up, a backup should be taken before each batch update or in the case of immedi- ate update systems a backup should be taken daily. As the database be- comes more stable in terms of addi- tions and amendments this time period could be extended.

At one large company not only do staff take regular backups, but imme- diately after the backup, a restore is done to prove the backup is a good

one. There is no point having backup tapes/floppy discs in the fire safe if they cannot be read when wanted.

Finally, these sophisticated inform- ation retrieval packages, once only purchased by larger companies re- quiring to store and retrieve masses of data are now, with the advent of the micro, relatively inexpensive pack- ages. Consideration of the use of such systems should be given by all com- panies. 0

RTZ Computer Services Ltd, 1 Redcliff St, Bristol BS99 7JS, UK.

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