Ingres at work - Penn Printout, Mar 1992

The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

March 1992 - Volume 8:6

Ingres at work: Penn database profiles

By Noam H. Arzt

The University's partnership with ASK/Ingres, a leading vendor of relational database management software, is not even two years old, yet Penn has already put this versatile product to good use. Ingres, one of several database products supported by the Office of Information Systems and Computing, is best suited for a variety of moderately complex to complex applications that may be required on personal computers, small multiuser systems, or large timesharing systems. (see Penn Printout, December 1991). While Ingres is being used in research, instruction, and administration, administrative projects are the ones that have made the most progress to date.

The two largest Ingres-based administrative applications are those being created by the Office of Development and Institutional Planning and the Wharton School. Development is rolling out the first phase of its new fundraising database application, the Integrated Data Base, or IDB, this month, while the Wharton School is developing systems to support the admissions process in its flagship MBA program.

The IDB project

The Integrated Data Base is designed to provide the staff in Development and Alumni Relations with flexible reporting capability and unified, online access to fundraising information, including biographical information on potential donors, gift accounting data, and information regarding the solicitation of major gifts. When completed, the system will combine in one database information that is now stored in three different databases on two separate computers. The IDB system is being developed in three phases. The first phase, being rolled out this month, includes the user interface design for the entire system and the implementation of the gift accounting component. Overall, as many as 300 people around the University, including staff in New York and Los Angeles, will be using the IDB.

The IDB application uses some very sophisticated features of the Ingres database software. It takes advantage of the Ingres Knowledge Management extension, which allows rules that relate to the data to be coded directly into the database, rather than being replicated in each end-user application that is created. Additionally, by having the rules inserted directly into the database, "ad hoc queries"-questions that users "ask" the database on the fly-are subject to the same rules as applications, without any additional effort being required on the part of the user.

To support the large number of users, IDB is being developed and deployed on a Sequent System 2000/700, a multiprocessor UNIX-based minicomputer. Much as a bank does not rely on a single teller to service the customers in line, the Sequent does not rely on a single central processing unit, or CPU, to perform all of its processing. Rather, one of a series of CPUs is assigned to perform each task as it appears in the "queue" of requested activities, allowing more work to be done in a given amount of time. The version of Ingres running on the Sequent has special features that allow it to make use of this advanced hardware architecture.

As part of the IDB project, programmers from the Wharton School are cooperating in the design and implementation of additional modules that are necessary for Wharton's own fundraising activities. "Eventually," says Karen Kozlow, Manager of Student Systems at Wharton, "we plan to make these additions to the IDB available to fundraisers in other schools as well." The long-term design includes making use of Ingres's client/server capabilities by having applications running on computers at Wharton and other schools directly access IDB data across PennNet. Ingres supports a client/server architecture (see Penn Printout, February 1992) such that the portion of the software that interacts with the user or the user's instructions (the client) is separate from the portion of the software that stores or retrieves data (the server), and the client and server portions can run on different computers.

Wharton admissions projects

In addition to participating in IDB development, the Wharton School is developing its own Ingres applications on a DEC VAX system. The School has already deployed the Wharton Graduate Admissions Inquiry System (WIQS), designed to improve service to the tens of thousands of candidates inquiring about the MBA program. A "soundex" algorithm lets Admissions staff quickly and accurately search the database for mailing history by selecting all people whose name "sounds like" the requested name. An events management feature assists in preparing for recruiting trips and receptions, especially those held overseas. The development of WIQS has already had important implications for the effectiveness and efficiency of recruiting efforts. Moreover, the WIQS system has an electronic interface to receive data from the Graduate Management Admissions Search Service (GMASS); students taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), a major graduate school admissions test, can request that GMASS send information about them to interested schools.

Wharton is also utilizing Ingres's Knowledge Management extension to help implement a comprehensive database security system to ensure confidentiality and appropriate access to data. Using this program extension, the School can provide a level of security for its applications and data that exceeds that which the native operating system (VAX/VMS) and Ingres itself provide "out of the box."

Wharton's next Ingres-based project, an admissions system to improve the management of applicant data, is in the initial testing stages. Successful features of the WIQS system, such as the creation of WordPerfect merge files, soundex searches, and events management, have already become part of this system. Wharton is also working closely with University Management Information Services (UMIS) to provide for accurate updating and synchronization of student data in Wharton and UMIS applications.

Academic projects

Susan Davidson, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Sciences in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been using Ingres in her database courses for years. Two courses-one undergraduate, the other graduate-teach the basics of database theory and design and use Ingres and other products to give the students experience in database implementation. With the permission of the vendor, Penn is providing Drexel University with Ingres products for use in its instructional program as well. On the research side, several faculty projects using Ingres are well under way in linguistics and at the Hospital.

Ingres helps fulfill users' needs

When Ingres was being considered for adoption as a supported product, the selection committee was impressed both by the company's commitment to the University community and by the technical superiority of its products over others on the market. Experience has borne out that initial impression. "Ingres has consistently provided excellent technical support through its Premium Support Program," says Bob Pallone, Director of Development Information Systems and manager of the IDB project. "We deal with three technicians and a manager who are assigned to the Penn account and who understand our application needs in considerable detail. They visit campus every three months to review our progress and to iron out the details of any problems or bugs we've uncovered." Pallone believes that the commitment of the vendor is very important in ensuring the success of any database implementation.

The future of Ingres

As more information processing shifts to UNIX-based workstations, Ingres will continue to play a strategic role at Penn. Data Communications and Computing Services already uses Ingres databases internally to help run PennNet, while UMIS uses Ingres applications to manage the applications development process. And the Ingres product set continues to mature. The recent shipment of a complete set of application development tools for the Microsoft Windows 3.0 interface, as well as an enhanced version of the Ingres database server, positions Ingres to continue serving the database needs of the Penn community

Sidebar: Ask for Ingres

For information about Ingres products and support, contact Noam H.Arzt, 898-3029 or arzt@dairp. v Up-to-date information about Ingres is posted in PennInfo. Search on the keyword ingres.v A new Ingres Internet e-mail list has been started. Subscribe by sending an e-mail message to INFO-INGRES-REQUEST@MATH.AMS.COM. Once you've subscribed, send contributions to INFO-INGRES@MATH.AMS.COM.

A news group called comp.databases.ingres is available via netnews (see Penn Printout, May 1991, page 4 for a discussion of news groups). For general discussion about databases refer to the news group comp.databases.

NOAM H. ARZT is Director of Special Projects for Data Administration and Information Resource Planning.