Information Systems Reengineering, Integration and Normalization: Heterogeneous Database Connectivity

Database technology is an important subject in Computer Science. Every large company and nation needs a database to store information. The technology has evolved from file systems in the 60's, to Hierarchical and Network databases in the 70's, to relational databases in the 80's, object-oriented databases in the 90's, and to XML documents and NoSQL today. As a result, there is a need to reengineer and update old databases into new databases. This book presents solutions for this task.

In this fourth edition, Chapter 9 - Heterogeneous Database Connectivity (HDBC) offers a database gateway platform for companies to communicate with each other not only with their data, but also via their database. The ability of sharing a database can contribute to the applications of Big Data and surveys for decision support systems. The HDBC gateway solution collects input from the database, transfers the data into its middleware storage, converts it into a common data format such as XML documents, and then distributes them to the users. HDBC transforms the common data into the target database to meet the user's requirements, acting like a voltage transformer hub. The voltage transformer converts the voltage to a voltage required by the users. Similarly, HDBC transforms the database to the target database required by the users.

This book covers reengineering for data conversion, integration for combining databases and merging databases and expert system rules, normalization for eliminating duplicate data from the database, and above all, HDBC connects all legacy databases to one target database for the users.

The authors provide a forum for readers to ask questions and the answers are given by the authors and the other readers on the Internet.

Joseph Fong taught at City University of Hong Kong in Computer Science for 27 years and as a database researcher. He published many journal papers in data conversion management: file to database, database to database, database integration, database normalization, expert database systems, and one universal database for all legacy databases. He had been chairman of Database Special Interest group of Hong Kong Computer Society for a decade, and owner of two US patents on Universal database and Internet-based database interoperability. His PhD thesis was on database transformation. This book covers his major database theories and practice. Joseph is also interested in eLearning and is the founding chairman of International Hybrid Learning Society.
Kenneth Wong is an IT engineer and researcher. He graduated at City University of Hong Kong as a M.Phil. student by doing research in universal database. He was also a database administrator in a hosiptal in Hong Kong. He has been working as I.T. Practitioner in International Hybrid Learning Society since June 2016. He is a computer professional in web design technology and I.T in education. Now, he specializes in system and networking migration projects for world-wide companies.