Database Systems Ch1 Review Questions

File

A collection of related records. For example, a file might contain data about the students currently enrolled at Gigantic University.

Data

Raw Facts, such as telephone number, a birth date, a customer name, and a year-to-date (YTD) sales value. Data have little meaning unless they have been organized in some logical manner.

Field

A character or group of characters (alphabetic or numeric) that has a specific meaning. A field is used to define and store data.

Data Dependence

A data condition in which data representation and manipulation are dependent on the physical data storage characteristics. Changes in characteristics of data will require changes in all the programs that access the file.

Record

A logically connected set of one or more fields that describes a person, place, or thing. For example, the fields that constitute a customer record might consist of the customer's name, address, phone number, date of birth, credit limit, and unpaid balance.

Database System

An organization of components that defines and regulates the collection, storage, management, and use of data in a database environment.

Metadata or Data about data

through which the end-user data are integrated and managed

unstructured data

are data that exist in their original (raw) state-that is, in the format in which they were collected.

structured data

are the result of formatting unstructured data to facilitate storage, use, and the generation of information.

Data Redundancy

exists when the same data are stored unnecessary at different (Multiple) places. The use of spreadsheets and tables in different parts of the organization can cause it.

Structural independence

exists when you can change the file structure without affecting the application's ability to access the data.

Database Management System (DBMS)

is a collection of programs that manages the database structure and controls access to data stored in the database.

Database

is a shared, integrated computer structure that stores a collection of related data. Two types of data: end-user data and metadata.

Information

is the result of processing raw data to reveal its meaning.

End-user data

raw facts of interest to the end user.

Database design

refers to the activities that focus on the design of the database structure that will be used to store and manage end-user data.