Discovering Computers 2016

Tools, Apps, Devices, and the Impact of Technology

Chapter 11
Building
Solutions
Databases, Data, and Information

Database Data Information

• Collection of • Collection of • Processed data
data organized unprocessed • Organized
in a manner items • Meaningful
that allows • Text • Useful
access, • Numbers
retrieval, and • Images
use of that • Audio
data
• Video

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Databases, Data, and Information

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Figure 11-1
Databases, Data, and Information

• Database software, often called a database

management system (DBMS), allows users to:

Create a computerized Add, modify, and

database delete data

Create forms and

Sort and retrieve data
reports from the data

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Databases, Data, and Information
• Data is organized in levels
– Characters, fields records, and files

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Figure 11-2
Databases, Data, and Information

• A character is one byte

– Numbers, letters, space,
punctuation marks, or
other symbols
• A field is a combination
of one or more related
characters
– Field name
– Field size
– Data type

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Figure 11-3
Databases, Data, and Information
• A record is a group of related fields
– A primary key is a field that uniquely identifies each record
• A data file is a collection of related records

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Figure 11-4
Databases, Data, and Information

• File maintenance refers to the procedures that

keep data current

Adding Modifying Deleting

records records records

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Databases, Data, and Information

• Validation compares data with a set of rules or

values to find out if the data meets certain criteria

Alphabetic/Numeric
Range check Consistency check
check

Completeness check Check digit Other checks

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File Processing Systems and Databases

File processing system Database approach

• Each department has its • Programs and users share
own set of files data
• Redundant data • Reduced data redundancy
• Isolated data • Improved data integrity
• Shared data
• Easier access
• Reduced development
time

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File Processing Systems and Databases

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Figure 11-6
File Processing Systems and Databases

• Disadvantages of a database approach

– Can be more complex than a file processing system
– Require more memory and processing power
– Data can be more vulnerable

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File Processing Systems and Databases

• Web databases offer information about:

Destinatio
Jobs Travel ns

Television
programming Photos Movies
Local and Sporting
Videos
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national
weather events 13
File Processing Systems and Databases

• A data model defines how users view the

organization of the data

Relational Object-oriented
database (OODB)
database
Multidimension
al and other
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Database Management Systems
• A data dictionary contains data about each file in
the database and each field in those files

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Figure 11-7
Database Management Systems

• A DBMS provides several tools that allow users

and programs to retrieve and maintain data in the
database Query language

Query by example

Form

Report writer

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Database Management Systems
• A query is a request for specific data from the database
• A query language consists of simple, English-like statements that
allow users to specify the data to display, print, store, update, or
delete
• Structured Query Language (SQL) is a popular query language that
allows users to manage, update, and retrieve data

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Database Management Systems

• Most DBMSs include query by example (QBE), a

feature that has a graphical user interface to assist
users with retrieving data

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Figure 11-9
Database Management Systems

• A form is a window on the screen that provides areas for

entering or modifying data in a database
• A report writer allows users to design a report on the
screen, retrieve data into the report design, and then
display or print the report

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Figure 11-10
Database Management Systems

A DBMS provides means to ensure that only authorized users access data

• Access privileges
• Principle of least privilege policy

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Database Management Systems

• A DMBS provides a variety of techniques to

restore the database to a usable form in case it is
damaged or destroyed

Backup Log
Recovery Continuou
utility s backup
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