Evolution of Data-Base Management Systems
ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR)
CODASYL Data-Base Management Systems
ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR)
Computer-Assisted Planning Systems: Management Concept, Application and Implementation
Computer-Assisted Planning Systems: Management Concept, Application and Implementation
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As utilities struggle to do business in a volatile regulatory climate, a number of uncertainties about costs and revenues make the task of corporate planning a difficult one. A multitude of planning models are used by PGE; they transform data into information at the operating level and they produce some byproduct information that is used as input to more aggregate planning models such as the financial model. Running these models has become an integral part of the organizational planning activities; nevertheless, problems occur in maintaining accurate and timely data files. The problem has been further aggravated by the absence of a repository for planning data that is common to the needs of several departments within divisions. A Data Base Management System (DBMS) is presented as a systematic approach to help alleviate some of the planning difficulties on the technical side; the concept of a coordinating committee is introduced as an integral part of the system but the human system receives little attention in this paper. The emphasis is on a simple and flexible approach that does not burden the user with technical details. An idea central to a DBMS is that of isolating the definition of the data structure and the user programs. Thus, the need for format specifications in user programs is eliminated for variables appearing in the data base. We have defined a few functions that enable the program users to access the data base in a simple way. The data Manipulation Language (DML) embedded in these functions is invisible to most users; however, Planning Systems is expected to be knowledgeable in both the DML and the Data Base Description Language (DBDL). The DBDL is used to define the structure of the data base, and it requires cooperation between Planning Systems and user departments. The initial data structure is specified in this paper, but the eventual structure is expected to evolve slowly over time; and, as it does, more advanced features of the DBMS may be utilized. An important aspect of this approach is that the system of planning models may undergo evolutionary changes without completely starting from scratch each time and rebuilding the entire system. As a result, less time and energy are expended on the technical system, while more of the needed emphasis can be allocated to the human system.