ERIC Number: ED262769
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1985-Feb
Pages: 108
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Investigation of DBMS for Use in a Research Environment. Rand Paper Series 7002.
Rosenfeld, Pilar N.
This investigation of the use of database management systems (DBMS) in a research environment used the Rand Corporation as a case study. After a general introduction in section 1, eight sections present the major components of the study. Section 2 contains an overview of DBMS terminology and concepts, followed in section 3 by a general dsecription of a typical research environment and the uses of social science databases. Section 4 describes an existing research institution, the Rand Corporation, as an example. A comparison of the research environment and the business environment is presented in Section 5, together with suggestions as to why DBMS are successful in business but not in research. Section 6 covers the interrelationships between the research environment and DBMS in two ways: (1) the possible DBMS configurations within a research environment are described, and (2) the opinions of Rand computer users on the important DBMS features are presented. An evaluation of commercial DBMS based on the research database management requirements established in previous sections, is presented in section 7. Section 8 is a brief discussion on introducing a DBMS into a research environment, and the final section is a summary of the entire study. A glossary, seven appendices, and a 35-item bibliography complete the document. (JB)
Descriptors: Attitude Measures, Case Studies, Computer Software, Data Collection, Data Processing, Databases, Evaluation Methods, Information Needs, Information Retrieval, Information Services, Information Storage, Man Machine Systems, Management Information Systems, Questionnaires, Social Science Research, User Satisfaction (Information)
The Rand Corporation, 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90406-2138 ($7.50).
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A