Managing unstructured data in a relational database system is one of the least know subjects. There is a large amount of unstructured data in the real world and a relational database designed to store data in a structured format but most database administrators and architectures do not have enough knowledge to handle unstructured Data. Marcelle Kratochvil’s book, “Managing Multimedia and Unstructured Data in the Oracle Database” aims to give a solid understanding of basic concepts involving unstructured data (specially multimedia).
The book is designed for technology architects and database administrators. Kratochvil plans to write another book which will will focus on developers and storage architects.
First chapter covers key concepts, later chapters cover technical details for database administrators.
Here is the list of the chapters:
- What is Unstructured Data? First chapter defines unstructured data and explains why you need to store unstructured data in a relational database.
- Understanding Digital Objects: Second chapter focuses on the definitions and terminologies widely used when working with digital objects.
- The Multimedia Warehouse: This chapter focuses on data warehouse concepts when storing multimedia. multimedia warehouse structures, metadata standards, data types are explained.
- Searching the Multimedia Warehouse: This chapter includes the different ways a multimedia database can be searched for multilingual data and how to represent the results.
- Loading Techniques: This chapter covers loading methods and strategies for attaching metadata to digital objects.
- Delivery Techniques: This chapter focues on managing digital rights on e-commerce while deliver digital objects (specially images) to customers.
- Techniques for Creating a Multimedia Database: This chapter covers technical aspects such as multi-tier architecture, database configuration concepts, Oracle securefile, storage system (ASM, Raid, SSD, SANs, and NAS).
- Tuning: This chapter covers tuning methodologies for an Oracle Database containing unstructured data.
- Understanding the Limitations of Oracle Products: This chapter covers Oracle Database features, options, and add-ons which can be used to work with unstructured data.
- Working with the Operating System: When the Oracle Database cannot handle a multimedia object, you need to handle it using external processing. This chapter describes the methods and techniques for working with the Unix and Windows operating systems.
The book contains very detailed information about unstructured data to help Database Administrator to understand fundamental concepts, challenges and methods of building a multimedia datawarehouse. It’s not for people who look for quick and step by step instructions to build a multimedia warehouse. If you want to go deeper on this subject, this is probably the best book in the market.