Registration for this event will close Thursday 12th February at 13:00 so make sure to book your place now!
Is a Data Warehouse a Data Archive and Why Does It Matter?
19th-20th February 2015
Eldon Building, University of Portsmouth
The E-ARK Project, the Digital Preservation Coalition and the UK Data Archive are delighted to invite you to a
workshop on the preservation of relational databases.
Relational database management systems are one of the essential building blocks of information technology. Ubiquitous
but often obscured behind layers of scripting, processing, forms and queries, they are arguably the most important invention of the Twentieth Century. It’s hard to think of a software application or service that does not have some fundamental dependency on
database technologies.
So it’s surprising that the digital preservation community seems to have spent so little time explicitly considering
their preservation. More accurately it’s surprising that there is less awareness and integration between the digital preservation community and the various tools and approaches used in commercial settings to manage the long term accessibility of records in
database systems known as ‘data warehousing’. There’s no question that databases present a complex challenge to preservation. They can be difficult to document and difficult to understand even when they are documented. The complex interdependencies of data,
query and scripting make migration problematic and highly specialised. Database migration is often seen as a purely technical operation, upgrading one legacy system with another soon-to-be-legacy replacement.
Relational databases and to some extent data warehousing approaches, which favour structure and homogeneity, are
sometimes contrasted with ‘big data’ approaches that tend to favour heterogeneity and de-normalisation. It could be suggested that a concern with relational databases is outmoded and that the preservation community could simply adopt big data approaches. But
the contrast can be overstated, especially when preservation issues are discussed. In practice ‘big data’ tools seem to offer improved workflows that complement rather than replace existing data warehouse tools. And even if ‘big data’ tools are the solution
for access they still need to integrate with fundamental preservation processes and standards.
Better technical guidance and organisational know-how are needed if the digital preservation community is to offer
confident and consistent solutions to long-term access for relational databases.
This two-part workshop, made possible by the E-ARK project and sponsored by the DPC, will review the state of the
art in the preservation of databases and explore emerging themes around the preservation of ‘big data’.
The workshop will be split over two days:
Day one will:
Day two will:
Interested parties are welcome to attend either or both days.
How to Register
Registration is free for this event but places are strictly limited and should be booked in advance. Please register
via the DPC website on the page listed below.
http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/87-DatabasePreservation?xref=110
We look forward to seeing you in Portsmouth!
Best,
Sharon
Sharon McMeekin
Head of Training and Skills
Digital Preservation Coalition
Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 4508
Twitter: @SharonMcMeekin
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