Chapter 4

Relational Databases

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Learning Objectives
• Explain the importance and advantages of databases.
• Describe the difference between database systems and file-based legacy systems.
• Explain the difference between logical and physical views of a database.
• Explain fundamental concepts of database systems such as DBMS, schemas, the
data dictionary, and DBMS languages.
• Describe what a relational database is and how it organizes data.
• Create a set of well-structured tables to store data in a relational database.
• Perform simple queries using the Microsoft Access database.

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Data Hierarchy
• Field
• Attributes about
an entity
• Record
• Related group of
fields
• File
• Related group of
records
• Database
• Related group of
files

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 Advantages of Database Systems
• Data Integration
• Files are logically combined and made accessible to various systems.
• Data Sharing
• With data in one place it is more easily accessed by authorized users.
• Minimizing Data Redundancy and Data Inconsistency
• Eliminates the same data being stored in multiple files, thus reducing inconsistency in multiple
versions of the same data.
• Data Independence
• Data is separate from the programs that access it. Changes can be made to the data without
necessitating a change in the programs and vice versa.
• Cross-Functional Analysis
• Relationships between data from various organizational departments can be more easily
combined.
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Database Terminology
• Database Management System (DBMS)
• Interface between software applications and the data in files.

• Database Administrator (DBA)

• Person responsible for maintaining the database

• Data Dictionary
• Information about the structure of the database
• Field names, descriptions, uses

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Logical vs. Physical
• Physical View
• Depends on explicitly knowing:
• How is the data actually arranged in a file
• Where is the data stored on the computer

• Logical View
• A Schema separates storage of data from use of the data
• Unnecessary to explicitly know how and where data is stored.

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Schemas
• Describe the logical structure of a
database
• Conceptual Level
• Organization wide view of the data
• External Level
• Individual users view of the data
• Each view is a subschema
• Internal Level
• Describes how data are stored and
accessed
• Description of: records, definitions,
addresses, and indexes

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DBMS Languages
• Data Definition Language (DDL)
• Builds the data dictionary
• Creates the database
• Describes the subschema
• Specifies record or field security constraints

• Data Manipulation Language (DML)

• Changes the content in the database
• Updates, insertions, and deletions
• Data Query Language (DQL)
• Enables the retrieval, sorting, and display of data from the database

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Relational Database
• Relational data model represents the conceptual and external
level schemas as if data are stored in tables.
• Table
• Each row, a tuple, contains data about one instance of an
entity.
• This is equivalent to a record
• Each column contains data about one attribute of an entity.
• This is equivalent to a field

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A Relational Table

Row (Record)

Each row contains multiple Same

Column type of data
(Field)
attributes describing an
instance of the entity. In this
case, inventory.

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 Attributes
• Primary Key
• An attribute or combination of attributes that can be used to
uniquely identify a specific row (record) in a table.
• Foreign Key
• An attribute in one table that is a primary key in another table.
• Used to link the two tables

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Database Design Errors
• If database is not designed properly data errors can occur.
• Update Anomaly
• Changes to existing data are not correctly recorded.
• Due to multiple records with the same data attributes
• Insert Anomaly
• Unable to add a record to the database.
• Delete Anomaly
• Removing a record also removes unintended data from the database.

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Design Requirements for Relational
Database
1. Every column must be single valued.
2. Primary keys must contain data (not null).
3. Foreign keys must contain the same data as the primary key in
another table.
4. All other attributes must identify a characteristic of the table
identified by the primary key.

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Normalizing Relational Databases
• Initially, one table is used for all the data in a database.
• Following rules, the table is decomposed into multiple
tables related by:
• Primary key–foreign key integration

• Decomposed set of tables are in third normal form

(3NF).

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Microsoft Access Query #1

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Microsoft Access Query #2

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Microsoft Access Query #3

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Microsoft Access Query #4

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Microsoft Access Query #5

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