AIS Chapter 4

The software program that creates, manipulates, and accesses the database goes by the acronym

a) DBMS.

The DBMS language that is used to build, initialize, and describe logical views for users is called the

a) DDL.

Creating an empty table in a relational database requires use of the __________, and filling that table requires the use of __________.

a) DDL; DML

What is one potential drawback in the design and implementation of database systems for accounting?

a) Double-entry accounting relies on redundancy as part of the accounting process; well-designed database systems reduce and attempt to eliminate redundancy.

A set of interrelated, centrally coordinated files is called

a) a database.

One of the key components of a DBMS is the data dictionary, which contains information about the structure of the database. Which would not generally be considered a data dictionary output report?

a) a list of cash balances in the organization's bank accounts

Redundancy can be a major problem in the design and operation of relational databases. If a database uses only one relation to store data, several problems may subsequently occur. The problem of changes (or updates) to data values being incorrectly recorded is known as

a) an update anomaly.

The data dictionary usually is maintained

a) automatically by the DBMS.

The abstract representation of the contents of a database is called the logical

a) data model.

One important constraint in a relational database environment is that a primary key uniquely identifies each row in a data table. This principle is called the

a) entity integrity rule.

The process of designing a database that is well-structured and free from anomalies is called

a) normalization.

The attribute that can uniquely identify a specific row in a table is the

a) primary key

Many database systems include a feature that simplifies the creation of reports by allowing users to specify the data elements desired and the format of the output. This feature is named the __________.

a) report writer

The potential inconsistency problem could arise when there are multiple occurrences of a data item in a database. This is called the

a) update anomaly.

Separating the logical and physical views in a database allows the programmers to concentrate on coding the application logic

b) since they do not have to focus on the physical location and layouts of various data items.

A DBMS must provide a way to define, manipulate, and query data in a database. This is accomplished by the use of three different languages. The language that is used to provide the function of data maintenance in a DBMS is

b) DML.

The DBMS language that is used for data maintenance and updating of the database is referred to by the letters

b) DML.

The ____________ contains information about the structure of the database.

b) Data dictionary

All of the following are benefits of database technology except:

b) Decentralized management of data

Which statement is true regarding file systems?

b) The proliferation of master files creates problems in the consistency of specific data stored in different files.

A relational database has been designed where the customer data is not maintained independently of sales invoice data. This design weakness will most likely result in

b) an insert anomaly.

The problem of inability to add new data without violating the basic integrity of the database is referred to as the

b) insert anomaly.

The database constraint that says that foreign keys must be null or have a value corresponding to the value of a primary key in another table is formally called the

b) referential integrity rule.

A database model that represents all data as stored in two-dimensional tables is the __________ model.

b) relational

What is the most popular type of database?

b) relational

The logical structure of a database is described by the

b) schema.

Which of the following would not be found in a data dictionary entry for a data item?

b) the physical location of the data

A well-structured or "normalized" database imposes several requirements on the structure of tables. The constraint that ensures the consistency of the database is known as

b) the referential integrity rule.

Identify the aspect of a normalized database that is incorrect:

c) All data is stored in one table or relation.

The part of the DBMS that is used to interrogate the database and present subsets of the database to users is called the

c) DQL.

The ___________ acts as an interface between the database and the various application programs

c) Database management system

The ____________ handles the link between the way data are physically stored and each user's logical view of that data.

c) Database management system software

The person responsible for the database is the

c) Database manager

The combination of the database, the DBMS, and the application programs that access the database through the DBMS is referred to as the

c) Database system

DBMS uses a language to retrieve, sort, order, and present subsets in a database. This language is known as

c) data query language (DQL).

The problem of losing desired information from a database when an unwanted record is purged from the database is referred to as the __________ anomaly.

c) delete

In the database design approach known as normalization, the first assumption made about data is

c) everything is initially stored in one large table.

A set of individual user views of the database is called the

c) external-level schema.

An attribute in a table that is a primary key in another table.

c) foreign key

A database system separates the logical and physical view of data. Such separation facilitates the development of new applications since programmers can concentrate their efforts on coding application logic. The term physical view refers to c) how and where the data are physically arranged and stored.

c) how and where the data are physically arranged and stored.

Record layouts, definitions, addresses, and indexes will be stored at the __________ level schema.

c) internal

A low-level view of the database that describes how the data are actually stored and accessed is the

c) internal-level schema.

Using a file-oriented approach to data and information, data is maintained in

c) many separate files.

Schemas are used in designing database systems. The schema that provides an organization-wide view of the entire database is known as

c) the conceptual-level schema.

Accountants may be involved in several aspects of database development. In which area below would an accountant least likely have involvement when developing a database system?

c) the internal-level schema

Normalization means tables are in the __________ normal form.

c) third

Which statement below is false regarding the basic requirements of the relational data model?

d) "Primary keys can be null."

Which of the statements below is incorrect regarding semantic data modeling?

d) Semantic data modeling simply follows the rules of normalization in the design of a database.

Reports produced using the data dictionary could include all of the following except

d) a list of all the schemas included in a database.

File-oriented approaches create problems for organizations because of

d) multiple master files which may contain redundant data.

Which is probably the most significant effect of database technology on accounting?

d) quicker access to and greater accounting information decision-making

There are two basic ways to design a well-structured relational database. The method in which a database designer uses knowledge about how business processes work to draw a graphical picture of the elements to be included in the database is called

d) semantic data modeling.

Each row in a relational database's table is known as a

d) tuple