A COMPARISON OF DATABASE MANAGER RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE RECOMMENDED UNDERGRADUATE DATABASE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE DPMA AND ACM INFORMATION SYSTEMS MODEL CURRICULA

Scope of Study. The purpose of this study was to provide information (1) to determine what subject matter database managers feel should be taught to potential employees and to determine (2) which model curriculum most closely approximates these recommendations. The survey technique was used to obtain information from selected business organizations listed in the current Directory of Online Databases. Specifically, the study revealed (1) a clearer picture of the educational backgrounds and work histories of database managers/administrators, (2) an in-depth study of the database management course including the following: topics to be included, the approximate importance of the topics recommended by the ACM & DPMA Model Curriculums, and (3) database systems used, and the configuration of the following: DBMS, database file organization, security measures, hardware types, and other relevant information. The questionnaire, after being pre-tested and revised, was mailed to 465 selected database organizations. An original and follow-up mailing of the study instrument, cover letter, and self-addressed envelope resulted in a return rate of 30.0 percent.;Findings and Conclusions. Approximately three-fourths of the 139 responding managers have been in database manager/administrator or DP manager positions for six years or less. The respondents consistently gave an important ranking of 40 percent or above for topics recommended by both curriculum models. The low was 37.8 percent for network data model, the high was 74 percent for the course overview. The commercial DBMS with the highest response rate was IBM's Information Management System (IMS), with over 16 percent. ADABAS, System 2000, and IDMS were the next most used DBMS with each one preferred by approximately 10 percent of the respondents. In-house systems, dBase II, and DMS-II (Burroughs) combined to represent approximately 16 percent of the total DBMS systems used. With respect to database security measures, over 85 percent of the respondents used passwork protection. Almost 40 percent of the respondents use physical security and restricted access methods. It appears that all databases have some type of security system. There is a demand for qualified teachers in the database area. But business leaders believe the current population of professors do not have this needed experience.