DATABASE Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is a database?
A collection of organized data, information and records.
What is the primary purpose of information in a database?
To be used, not just collected and found.
What is a structured database?
A database where records or files are arranged in a uniform format.
Give examples of structured databases.
- List of persons born in a country
- Medical database of patients’ data
- Inventory database of a company
What is a free-form database?
A loose collection of information, often found on the World Wide Web.
What is an operational database?
A dynamic database used by organizations for day-to-day operations.
What is an analytical database?
A static database where data is rarely modified, used to store historical data.
What does the hierarchical model represent?
A parent-child relationship where a child has one parent, but a parent can have multiple children.
What visualization is often used for the hierarchical model?
An inverted tree.
What was the first database system developed for?
To keep track of purchase orders for the Apollo moon mission.
What is the network model?
A database model allowing multiple inverted trees sharing branches.
How does the network model differ from the hierarchical model?
In the network model, data can be accessed from any table, not just through the root.
Who developed the relational model?
Dr. E. F. Codd of IBM.
What are the key components of a relational model?
- Relations (tables)
- Attributes (column names)
- Domain (values for attributes)
What does RDBMS stand for?
Relational Database Management System.
What can you do with an RDBMS?
- Create a database
- Information storage
- Information retrieval
- Information management
- Information analysis
- Print and share information
What is the purpose of using models?
To examine or manage parts of the world at a lower cost than real-world experimentation.
What is the entity-relationship model?
An abstract and conceptual representation of data.
What is the dimensional model used for?
To represent data in data warehouses.
What does a dimension in a dimensional model tell?
Where, who, and what type.
What does a measure in a dimensional model mean?
Quantity.
What is the object-relational model?
A model that combines the relational model with object-oriented programming.
Name some early implementations of relational DBMS.
- System R - IBM Research
- INGRES - U.C. Berkeley
- ORACLE - Larry Ellison
True or False: RDBMS is designed to create, maintain, manipulate, modify, and delete information in a relational database.
True
