Historical Roots of DatabasesIn the beginning…(in the 1950s)

…there were no databases, just file (or data processing) systems.

Name: Jane Doe

Address: 123 Easy St.

City: London

Phone: 455-0897

Date: Sept 14, 1955

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Patient: Jane Doe, 455-0897

OHIP: 123456789

• File systems were typically organized by function (use)

• The first data management systems performed clerical tasks (transactional processing) such as order entry processing, payroll, work scheduling.

• e.g., files for patients (file folder analogy); each record for a single patient; another file for appointment/ billing information

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