According to tasks performed on the database by different users, we can classify database users in 5 categories as given below:
- Database Administrator
- Naive Users
- Application Programmers
- Sophisticated Users
- Specialized Users
Let’s discuss each one by one in detail.
1. Database Administrator (Super Users)
A single person or a team of members can be a database administrator.
An administrator has full control of the database. Their account is called a superuser account.
An administrator defines the logical and physical schemas and manages all three levels of the database. Even they can control view level schemas as well.
They grant/revoke authorization permission to all other users.
They design the overall structure of the database including, layouts, functioning, procedures, and motives.
They are responsible for routine maintenance, backup, and recovery of the database.
They perform all admin related activities like time to time updating, insert new required values /functions, modify the existing, etc.
They provide technical support or arrange the same.
They control these all operations as well:
Security, integrity, redundancy, concurrency, hardware and software management
They always update the database in terms of technology, function, aim, and requirements to make the database ready for future scope.
2. Naive Users (End Users)
These are the actual users who use the database to fill the information, but most of the naive users have no knowledge of a database and how to operate it. They just use the view level with the help of interface methods provided.
These are again dived into two categories:
Parametric Users
These types of users just use predefined programs like booking online tickets, filling online forms, applying for online facilities, etc.
Casual Users
All parametric users are also casual users, but these types of users can use basic programming to fill the data in the database. They are provided with little training or user guide to have a little knowledge about the database technology.
3. Application Programmer (Backend Users)
These are the people who do all programming to make the database a real-world entity.
We can classify these in below three categories:
Designers
These are the first contact person if you want a database to be created. They try to understand your requirements related to a database like layout, looks, functioning, programming, costing, technologies or techniques, etc. After getting all the information they design the final layout for programmers to code it. Also, they create the structure of a database like tables, relationships, procedures, constraints, views, communication, etc.
System Analysts
These are the persons who check current similar options and do the needful to change or update the final layout to make it unique. Also, they check and gather all the information related to resources. They make sure that the buyer should be satisfied with the final product.
Programmers
These are the professional persons who finally do the coding to make the final layout a real-world entity. The programming is subdivided into 2 categories:
- With tools programming: Use available tools to make development faster.
- Without tools programming: Do all the programming required themselves.
4. Sophisticated Users
These users have knowledge of DDL, DML and use these both to write down queries to make their own databases or access the current database. These users are like a little techno savvy person or are provided with the complete training to do the needful. They can be engineers, analysts, scientists of the same organization, or others.
5. Specialized Users
These persons are something like a combination of database administrators and programmers. They write down their own programs to access the database. They can even overcome the sequential access structure and cross access the database framework. They need not to follow any procedure, instead, they can make their own procedures. These professionals are hired to find out any anomalies and errors in the current system.
I hope you got an idea about the types of database users. If you have any queries do ask in the comment section below.