Thesis (M. Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-96). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

Report (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. M.S. 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 81). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.C.I.T.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan. 5, 2006). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-216). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: program synthesis; relational specification; Alloy. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-66).

The individual of today incessantly insists on more protection of his/her personal privacy than a few years ago. During the last few years, rapid technological advances, especially in the field of information technology, directed most attention and energy to the privacy protection of the Internet user. Research was done and is still being done covering a vast area to protect the privacy of transactions performed on the Internet. However, it was established that almost no research has been done on the protection of the privacy of personal data that are stored in tables of a relational database. Until now the individual had no say in the way his/her personal data might have been used, indicating who may access the data or who may not. The individual also had no way to indicate the level of sensitivity with regard to the use of his/her personal data or exactly what he/she consented to. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to develop a model to protect the personal privacy of the individual in relational databases in such a way that the individual will be able to specify how sensitive he/she regards the privacy of his/her data. This aim culminated in the development of the Hierarchical Privacy-Sensitive Filtering (HPSF) model. A secondary aim was to test the model by implementing the model into query languages and as such to determine the potential of query languages to support the implementation of the HPSF model. Oracle SQL served as an example for text or command-based query languages, while Oracle SQL*Forms served as an example of a graphical user interface. Eventually, the study showed that SQL could support implementation of the model only partially, but that SQL*Forms was able to support implementation of the model completely. An overview of the research approach employed to realise the objectives of the study: At first, the concepts of privacy were studied to narrow down the field of study to personal privacy and the definition thereof. Problems that relate to the violation or abuse of the individual’s personal privacy were researched. Secondly, the right to privacy was researched on a national and international level. Based on the guidelines set by organisations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Council of Europe (COE), requirements were determined to protect the personal privacy of the individual. Thirdly, existing privacy protection mechanisms like privacy administration, self-regulation, and automated regulation were studied to see what mechanisms are currently available and how they function in the protection of privacy. Probably the most sensitive data about an individual is his/her medical data. Therefore, to conclude the literature study, the privacy of electronic medical records and the mechanisms proposed to protect the personal privacy of patients were investigated. The protection of the personal privacy of patients seemed to serve as the best example to use in the development of a privacy model. Eventually, the Hierarchical Privacy-Sensitive Filtering model was developed and introduced, and the potential of Oracle SQL and Oracle SQL*Forms to implement the model was investigated. The conclusion at the end of the dissertation summarises the study and suggests further research topics. / Prof. M.S. Olivier

Data is distributed across interconnected relations in relational databases. Relationships between tuples can be rearranged in distinct relations by matching the values of the join attribute, a process called equi-join operation. Unlike standard attempts to design efficient join algorithms in this thesis, an approach is proposed to align tuples in relation so that joins can be readily and effectively done. We position tuples in their respective relationships, called relations alignment, which has matching join attribute values in the corresponding positions. We also address how to align relations and perform joins on aligned relations. The experiments were conducted in this research to measure and analyze the efficiency of the proposed approach compared to standard MySQL joins.

The goal of this research is to make it easier to design and create web services for relational databases. A web service is a software service for providing data over computer networks. Web services provide data endpoints for many web applications. We adopt a plug-and-play approach for web service creation whereby a designer constructs a “plug,” which is a simple specification of the output produced by the service. If the plug can be “played” on the database then the web service is generated. Our plug-and-play approach has three advantages. First, a plug is portable. You can take the plug to any data source and generate a web service. Second, a plug-and-play service is more reliable. The web service generation checks the database to determine if the service can be safely and correctly generated. Third, plug-and-play web services are easier to code for complex data since a service designer can write a simple plug, abstracting away the data’s real complexity. We describe how to build a system for plug-and-play web services, and experimentally evaluate the system. The software produced by this research will make life easier for web service designers.

There are many types of databases, but the most common are relational and non-relational. These databases have different structures, and that affects their performance. Many studies examine the differences between relational and non-relational databases and compare them regarding performance. However, it lacks a study that collects the results from different sources and makes them available to software professionals, so they can choose a suitable database effortlessly. This thesis examines and analyzes several studies investigating the performance of relational and non-relational databases. The analysis examines the performance of typical database operations, insert, delete, update, and select, on different numbers of records. The results of this study show that the non-relational databases perform better, regardless of the number of records in the database. However, there are some cases where the relational databases perform better. The findings are based on an analysis of seven studies, encompassing databases MSSQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and MongoDB. / Det finns flera typer av databaser, men de vanligaste är relationella och icke-relationella. Dessa databaser har olika strukturer, vilket påverkar deras prestanda. Många studier undersöker skillnaderna mellan relationella och icke-relationella databaser och jämför deras prestanda. Dock saknas en studie som samlar resultaten från olika källor och gör dem tillgängliga för mjukvaruproffs, för att underlätta valet av en lämplig databas. Denna examensarbete undersöker och analyserar flera studier som utforskar prestandan hos relationella och icke-relationella databaser. Analysen fokuserar på prestandan för vanliga databasoperationer, såsom infogning, borttagning, uppdatering och val, för olika antal poster. Resultaten av denna studie visar att icke-relationella databaser presterar bättre oavsett antalet poster i databasen. Det finns dock vissa fall där relationella databaser fungerar bättre. Resultaten baseras på en analys av sju studier som omfattar MSSQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle och MongoDB-databaserna.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: NoSQL databases, a new way of storing and retrieving data, can provide businesses with many benefits, although they also pose many risks for businesses. The lack of knowledge among decision-makers of businesses regarding NoSQL databases can lead to risks left unaddressed and missed opportunities. This study, by means of an extensive literature review, identifies the key drivers, characteristics and benefits of a NoSQL database, thereby providing a clear understanding of the subject. The business imperatives related to NoSQL databases are also identified and discussed. This can help businesses to determine whether a NoSQL database might be a viable solution, and to align business and information technology (IT) objectives. The key strategic and operational IT risks are also identified and discussed, based on the literature review. This can help business to ensure that the risks related to the use of NoSQL databases are appropriately addressed. Lastly, the identified risks were mapped to the processes of COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology) to inform a business of the highest risk areas and the associated focus areas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: NoSQL databasisse, 'n nuwe manier om data te stoor en herwin, het die potensiaal om baie voordele vir besighede in te hou, maar kan ook baie risiko's teweeg bring. Gebrekkige kennis onder besigheidsbesluitnemers oor NoSQL databasisse kan lei tot onaangespreekte risiko’s en verlore geleenthede. Hierdie studie, deur middel van 'n uitgebreide literatuuroorsig, identifiseer die sleutel eienskappe, kenmerke en voordele van 'n NoSQL databasis, om sodoende 'n duidelike begrip van die onderwerp te verkry. Die besigheidsimperatiewe wat verband hou met NoSQL databasisse is ook geïdentifiseer en bespreek. Dit kan besighede help om te bepaal of 'n NoSQL databasis 'n werkbare oplossing kan wees, asook sake- en inligtingstegnologie (IT) doelwitte in lyn met mekaar bring. Na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie is die sleutel-strategiese en operasionele IT-risiko's geïdentifiseer en bespreek. Dit kan help om aan besighede sekerheid te verskaf dat die risiko's wat verband hou met die gebruik van NoSQL databasisse toepaslik aangespreek word. Laastens is die geïdentifiseerde risiko's gekoppel aan die prosesse van COBIT om 'n besigheid van die hoë-risiko areas en die gepaardgaande fokusareas in te lig.