• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Computer Notes

Library
    • Computer Fundamental
    • Computer Memory
    • DBMS Tutorial
    • Operating System
    • Computer Networking
    • C Programming
    • C++ Programming
    • Java Programming
    • C# Programming
    • SQL Tutorial
    • Management Tutorial
    • Computer Graphics
    • Compiler Design
    • Style Sheet
    • JavaScript Tutorial
    • Html Tutorial
    • Wordpress Tutorial
    • Python Tutorial
    • PHP Tutorial
    • JSP Tutorial
    • AngularJS Tutorial
    • Data Structures
    • E Commerce Tutorial
    • Visual Basic
    • Structs2 Tutorial
    • Digital Electronics
    • Internet Terms
    • Servlet Tutorial
    • Software Engineering
    • Interviews Questions
    • Basic Terms
    • Troubleshooting
Menu

Header Right

Home » Database » Advanced » What are the Causes for Database Failure?
Next →
← Prev

What are the Causes for Database Failure?

By Dinesh Thakur

There are many different types of failure that can affect database processing, each of which has to be dealt with in a different manner. Some failures affect main memory only, while others involve non-volatile (secondary) storage. Among the causes of failure are:

• System Crashes

• User Error

• Carelessness

• Sabotage (intentional corruption of data)

• Statement Failure

• Application software errors

• Network Failure

• Media Failure

• Natural Physical Disasters

In case of system crash, the systems hang up and need to be rebooted. These failures occur due to hardware malfunction or a bug in the database software or the operating system itself. It causes the loss of the content of volatile storage and brings transaction processing to a halt. The content of nonvolatile storage does not affected with this type of failure. The assumption that hardware errors and bugs bring the system to a halt, but do not corrupt the nonvolatile storage contents is known as the Fail-Stop Assumption.

An example of a user error is a user inadvertently deleting a row or dropping a table. Carelessness is the destruction of data by operators or users because they were not concentrating on the task at hand. Sabotage is the intentional corruption or destruction of data, hardware or software facilities.

A statement failure can be defined as the inability of the database to execute an SQL statement. While running a user program, a transaction might have multiple statements and one of the statements might fail due to various reasons. Typical examples are selecting from a table that does not exist, or trying to do an insert and having the statement fail due to lack of space. Such statement failures normally generate error codes and messages by the application software or the operating system. Recovery from such failures is automatic. Upon detection, the database usually will roll back the statement, returning control to the user or user program. The user can simply re-execute the statement after correcting the problem. Application software errors include logical errors in the program that is accessing the database, which causes one or more transactions to fail.

Network failures can occur while using a client-server configuration or a distributed database system where multiple database servers are connected by communication networks. Network failures such as communication software failures or aborted asynchronous connections will interrupt the normal operations of the database system.

Media failures are the most dangerous failures. Not only there is a potential to lose data if proper backup procedures are not followed, but it usually takes more time to recover than with other kinds of failures. In addition, the DBA’s experience is very important factor in determining the kind of media recovery procedure to use to bring the database up quickly, with little or no data loss. A typical example of a media failure is a disk controller failure or disk head’ crash, which causes all, databases residing on that disk or disks to be lost. Every DBA needs to plan appropriate backup procedures to protect against media failures.

Natural and physical disasters are the damage caused to data, hardware and software due to natural disasters like fires, floods, earthquakes, power failures, etc.

You’ll also like:

  1. Differentiate Between Error, Fault and Failure
  2. What is Distributed Database? Characteristics of Distributed Database Management System.
  3. How we are Protecting the Data within the Database.
  4. How Recover from Database Failures.
  5. What is Flat-File Database?
Next →
← Prev
Like/Subscribe us for latest updates     

About Dinesh Thakur
Dinesh ThakurDinesh Thakur holds an B.C.A, MCDBA, MCSD certifications. Dinesh authors the hugely popular Computer Notes blog. Where he writes how-to guides around Computer fundamental , computer software, Computer programming, and web apps.

Dinesh Thakur is a Freelance Writer who helps different clients from all over the globe. Dinesh has written over 500+ blogs, 30+ eBooks, and 10000+ Posts for all types of clients.


For any type of query or something that you think is missing, please feel free to Contact us.


Primary Sidebar

DBMS

Database Management System

    • DBMS - Home
    • DBMS - Definition
    • DBMS - What is
    • DBMS - Entity Sets
    • DBMS - Components
    • DBMS - Languages
    • DBMS - Normalization
    • DBMS - Data Models
    • DBMS - Processing System
    • DBMS - Advantages
    • DBMS - ER-Model
    • DBMS - Functional Dependence
    • DBMS - Relational Model
    • DBMS - Architecture
    • DBMS - Network Model
    • DBMS - Approach
    • DBMS - Data Independence
    • DBMS - Relational Schema
    • DBMS - Instance
    • DBMS - Functions and Service
    • DBMS - Server
    • DBMS - DBA
    • DBMS - Instance & Schemas
    • DBMS - System Type
    • DBMS - DDL, DML and DCL
    • DBMS - Users
    • DBMS - Model
    • DBMS - System Structure
    • DBMS - Role of DBA
    • DBMS - Metadata
    • DBMS - ER-Diagram
    • DBMS - E-R Model Problems
    • DBMS - DBMS Vs.RDBMS
    • DBMS - Basic Construction of E-R
    • DBMS - E-R Notation
    • DBMS - Database View
    • DBMS - Concurrency Control
    • DBMS - Schema
    • DBMS - Procedure for Access
    • DBMS - Object
    • DBMS - dBase
    • DBMS - Relational Algebra
    • DBMS - Deadlock
    • DBMS - Relational Database
    • DBMS - Query
    • DBMS - Schema

DBMS Normal Forms

    • Database - CODD’S Rules
    • Database - 1NF
    • Database - 2NF
    • Database - 3NF
    • Database - 4NF
    • Database - 5NF
    • Database - BCNF

Advance Database

    • Database - File Organization
    • Database - Type Lock
    • Database - Transaction
    • Database - Key Type
    • Database - Relational Algebra
    • Database - Components
    • Database - Deadlock Detect
    • Database - Design Methodology
    • Database - Relational Operators
    • Database - Relational Calculus
    • Database - Lock Granularity
    • Database - Deadlocks Handling
    • Database - Concurrent Control
    • Database - Denormalization
    • Database - Starvation
    • Database - OODB
    • Database - Data Warehouse
    • Database - Fragmentation
    • Database - Data Replication
    • Database - Distributed
    • Database - Transparences
    • Database - ORDBMSS
    • Database - Data Mining
    • Database - Security
    • Database - DBTG
    • Database - OLAP
    • Database - Integrity
    • Database - Data Encryption
    • Database - Recover
    • Database - Data Protection

Some Other Advance Articls

  • Adv of Distributed DBMS
  • Homogeneous and Heterogeneous
  • Causes for Database Failure
  • DBMS Architecture
  • Features for Any DBMS
  • OLTP Systems Vs Data Warehousing
  • Data Warehousing Architecture

Other Links

  • DBMS - PDF Version

Footer

Basic Course

  • Computer Fundamental
  • Computer Networking
  • Operating System
  • Database System
  • Computer Graphics
  • Management System
  • Software Engineering
  • Digital Electronics
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Compiler Design
  • Troubleshooting

Programming

  • Java Programming
  • Structured Query (SQL)
  • C Programming
  • C++ Programming
  • Visual Basic
  • Data Structures
  • Struts 2
  • Java Servlet
  • C# Programming
  • Basic Terms
  • Interviews

World Wide Web

  • Internet
  • Java Script
  • HTML Language
  • Cascading Style Sheet
  • Java Server Pages
  • Wordpress
  • PHP
  • Python Tutorial
  • AngularJS
  • Troubleshooting

 About Us |  Contact Us |  FAQ

Dinesh Thakur is a Technology Columinist and founder of Computer Notes.

Copyright © 2023. All Rights Reserved.