Installation of a commercial database management system in a university environment

This paper addresses the problem of using a commercial database management system (DBMS) in an academic environment for educational purposes. Prior to the decision to use a commercial DBMS, an instructional database IDBS [4] was used. The pros and cons of this decision are discussed. In addition, the problems of obtaining a commercial DBMS on an academic budget for instructional purposes, and of creating a reasonably realistic database are discussed. Finally, an evaluation of the initial quarter's use is presented.

The environment for this discussion is the Georgia State University College of Business Administration Information Systems Department graduate database course. This course is offered three times a year with approximately 20 students per offering.

DBMS are extensively being used in business areas [2,9,14,15]. As more DBMS are being installed, the sophistication and complexity of these systems is increasing [9,12,13]. This fact makes it imperative for the graduates in the Information Systems field to have a solid understanding of a DBMS and how it is used in a business environment. Without actual experience using a DBMS one cannot fully understand systems of such complexity. This understanding cannot be obtained from text reading and lecture. This situation is analogous to learning a programming language without actually ever using a computer.