Doctor of Philosophy: Research Synopsis

I am pleased to announce that after 7 years of commitment to the field and effectively doing 2 full time jobs I met the academic requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy with The Open University. It has been an amazing few years researching something one finds fascinating.

The research synopsis is below.

There has been a vast expansion of data usage in recent years. The requirements of database systems to provide a variety of information has resulted in many more types of database engines and approaches. A once simple management task has become much more complex. Challenges exist for database managers to make the best choices of practices and procedures to satisfy the requirements of organisations. 

This research was aimed at understanding how the management of database systems is undertaken, how best practices and procedures form a part of the management process, and the complex nature of database systems. The study examined the adoption of best practices and how the complex interactions between components of the database system affect management and performance.

As part of this research, an innovative method was developed in which thematic analysis of the resulting data was deepened through the use of systems thinking and diagramming. Taking this holistic approach to database systems enabled a different understanding of best practices and the complexity of database systems. A ‘blueprint’, called a CODEX, was drawn up to support improvement and innovation of database systems. Based on a comprehensive assessment of the individual causal interactions between data components, a data map detailed the complex interactions.

My publications are on Google Scholar.