Database management systems will continue to manage large data volumes. Thus, efficient algorithms for accessing and manipulating large sets and sequences will be required to provide acceptable performance. The advent of object-oriented and extensible database systems will not solve this problem. On the contrary, modern data models exacerbate the problem: In order to manipulate large sets of complex objects as efficiently as today's database systems manipulate simple records, query-processing algorithms and software will become more complex, and a solid understanding of algorithm and architectural issues is essential for the designer of database management software. This survey provides a foundation for the design and implementation of query execution facilities in new database management systems. It describes a wide array of practical query evaluation techniques for both relational and postrelational database systems, including iterative execution of complex query evaluation plans, the duality of sort- and hash-based set-matching algorithms, types of parallel query execution and their implementation, and special operators for emerging database application domains.

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Query evaluation techniques for large databases

Definition, structure, content, use and impacts of electronic health records: A review of the research literature

Offers a comprehensive critique of the spread of auditing in both the public and private sectors and shows how to achieve a better balance between audits and other forms of accountability. Michael Power is Professor of Accounting at the LSE. ‘A rare attempt to stand back and question the very notion of auditing and the place it has assumed in our society.’ Financial Times

The Audit Explosion

In a client/server environment, a method and means for reducing the storage requirement in the backup subsystem and further reducing the load on the transmission bandwidth where base files are maintained on the server in a segmented compressed format. When a file is modified on the client, the file is transmitted to the server and compared with the segmented compressed base version of the file utilizing a differencing function but without decompressing the entire base file. A delta file which is the difference between the compressed base file and the modified version of the file is created and stored on a storage medium which is part of the backup subsystem. Alternatively, a copy of frequently accessed base files are maintained on the client in a compressed format. Whenever the client detects that a frequently accessed file has been modified, the modified version of the file is differenced against the base version of that file without decompressing the entire base file and a delta file is generated. The delta file is then transmitted to the server to be stored at the server for storage medium to be utilized either immediately or at a later time to update the base version of the modified file on the server.

System and method for reducing storage requirement in backup subsystems utilizing segmented compression and differencing

Health information systems - past, present, future.

A legacy information system represents a massive, long-term business investment. Unfortunately, such systems are often brittle, slow and non-extensible. Capturing legacy system data in a way that can support organizations into the future is an important but relatively new research area. The authors offer an overview of existing research and present two promising methodologies for legacy information system migration.

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Legacy information systems: issues and directions

The SI challenge in health care

From the Publisher:
Distributed database systems have now come of age with the announcement of several commercial products (Oracle, Ingres, Multi-Star) which meet the urgent need for integration of heterogeneous collections of data. This book adopts a practical approach, reviewing the fundamentals of database technology and developments in data communications (including standards) before reviewing the principles of distributed DB systems. It includes case studies of the leading products.

Distributed Database Systems

In spite of over four decades of research into Electronic Healthcare Record Systems, the penetration of records which incorporate more than simply basic information, into the working life of healthcare organisations is relatively small. This paper discusses some of the key impediments to progress including in particular, the lack of application of software engineering methodologies, the absence of usable standards, and the failure to acknowledge the impact of record systems on the healthcare system itself. However, Health Informatics researchers need to be preparing for the next generation of systems which will be triggered by the twin revolutions of the Internet and Genetic Medicine. This next generation of EHCR will be a longitudinal cradle-to-the-grave active record readily accessible and available via the Internet, and which will be linked to clinical protocols and guidelines to drive the delivery of healthcare to the individual citizen. Post-genomic research will unravel the link between genes, disease, treatment and the environment and this information will be used to promote health and individualise care. A number of key research issues are identified which need to be addressed in order to realise the delivery of the next generation of EHCR Systems.

Delivering the electronic healthcare record for the 21st century.

Engineering lies at the interface between science on the one hand and society on the other. It is concerned with the systematic application of scientific and mathematical principles towards practical ends for the benefit of people. Traditionally the emphasis in engineering education has been on the scientific side, with students given a thorough grounding in the basic scientific and mathematical principles underpinning their discipline. However, the constraints on engineering problem-solving today are increasingly not technical, but rather lie on the societal and human side of engineering practice. These changes require new approaches within the curriculum and by promoting active learning and encouraging students to experiment and be more creative, eLearning is one of an important number of strategies for achieving the paradigm shift that is required.

Jane Grimson

Papers

Legacy information systems: issues and directions

The SI challenge in health care

Distributed Database Systems

Delivering the electronic healthcare record for the 21st century.

Re-Engineering the Curriculum for the 21st Century.