Explain how the bottom-up design approach differs from the top-down design approach—database development using the bottom-up approach or the top-down bottom according to its complexity. The bottom-up approach begins with essential attributes towards the relationships of those attributes. In contrast, the top-down approach starts with developing models that contain a higher level of entities and relationships towards the lower ones.
The bottom-up approach is when transferring a database from one physical database to another. Simultaneously, the other is used when developing a new database at a logical level and later applying the objects to physical database design. For instance, using the bottom-up approach to migrate the Oracle database, which falls under the relational database management systems to IBM DB2, which needs changes in the data types.
The bottom-up approach modules require interaction between the fundamental attributes for combination purposes while the top-down approach does not require communication. Besides, the bottom-up approach uses the concept of abstraction, which involves hiding the implementation details while sub-models are separately processed.
Another key difference is that developers and database administrators utilize bottom-up in testing. Simultaneously, the top-down approach is in debugging the databases, test case creation, and module documentation.
Besides that, the object-oriented programming languages abides with the bottom-up approach, which means the database is or around objects rather than logic. In contrast, the procedural programming languages which utilize routines and functions follow the top-down approach. Examples of these object-oriented languages include python and C#, while the C and COBOL are procedural programming languages.
The bottom-up approach begins with data while top-bottom deigns with the database’s visualization, thus suitable for complex databases. Therefore, data redundancy is minimal in bottom-up, while top-down can generate data redundancy.
Which approach do you believe should be used to design a simple database with a relatively small number of attributes, and why?
The bottom-up approach is suitable for designing simple databases since it is easier to manage a small number of attributes or objects. The course will provide simplicity and fast development since there is no complexity in a remote database. The ability to make decisions and implement them quickly provides the advantage of this approach, saving cost and time spent in a simple database development phase.