DATABASE CONCEPTS
CHAPTER ONE : DATABASE SYSTEMS
1. Another name for a production database is a ____ database.
a. development
b. warehousing
c. transactional
d. data mining
2. A raw fact such as a telephone number is known as ____.
a. information
b. relationships
c. records
d. data
3. A single-user database that runs on a personal computer is called a(n) ____ database.
a. workgroup
b. distributed
c. enterprise
d. desktop
4. The design of a ____ database recognizes the use of historical and aggregated data.
a. data warehouse
b. single-user
c. production
d. multiuser
5. ____ independence exists when it is possible to make changes in the file structure without affecting the application
program's ability to access the data.
a. Logical
b. Physical
c. Fragmentation
d. Structural
6. Database management systems, operating systems, applications and utilities are all examples of ____.
a. software
b. hardware
c. computer infrastructure
d. input and output
7. Which of the following would result in a data anomaly?
a. inconsistent redundant data
b. modification of data
c. timeliness of data
d. obsolescence of data
8. Data ____ exists when the same data are stored unnecessarily at different places.
a. dependency
b. redundancy
c. inconsistency
d. fragmentation
9. The ____ receives all application requests and translates them into the complex operations required to fulfill requests.
a. query
b. workgroup
c. DBMS
d. DP
10. An ad hoc query is a ____.
a. pre-scheduled question
b. spur of the moment question
c. pre-planned question
d. question that will not return any results
11. ____ are the people who use application programs to run the organization's daily operations.
a. End users
b. Managers
c. Database programmers
d. Data practitioners
12. ____ are considered database architects.
a. Database administrators
b. Systems administrators
c. Database designers
d. Systems analysts and programmers
13. A data ____ develops when all of the required changes in the redundant data are not made successfully.
a. redundancy
b. anomaly
c. inconsistency
d. dependence
14. A single character requires ____ of computer storage.
a. 1 bit
b. 5 bits
c. 1 byte
d. 1 gigabyte
15. A ____ focuses primarily on storing data used to generate information required to make tactical or strategic decisions.
a. distributed database
b. workgroup database
c. data warehouse
d. production database
16. Processed data, or ____, can be used as the basis for decision making.
a. raw data
b. information
c. queries
d. DP
17. What is a benefit of using a DBMS?
a. they provide full security to data using private/public key encryption
b. they create automatic backups
c. they help create an environment for end users to have access to more data
d. they provide seamless Internet access to database data
18. A record consists of a ____.
a. character
b. collection of related records
c. set of one or more fields
d. group of files
19. What is the maximum number of users normally supported by a workgroup database?
a. 10
b. 30
c. 50
d. 100
20. ____ is the de facto query language and data access standard supported by the majority of DBMS vendors.
a. Access Query Language
b. Structured Query Language
c. 4GL
d. DBMS
21. Activities that make the database perform more efficiently in terms of storage and access speed are known as
performance ____.
a. upgrades
b. enhancements
c. tuning
d. development
22. Wider access to well-managed data promotes a(n) ____ view of the organization's operations and a clearer view of the big
picture.
a. automatic
b. transparent
c. integrated
d. raw
23. The ____ manages interaction between the end user and the database.
a. DM query engine
b. DBMS
c. DBMQ
d. DP
24. Where does the DBMS store the definitions of data elements and their relationships?
a. data file
b. index
c. data dictionary
d. data map
25. Accurate, relevant, and timely ____ is the key to good decision making.
a. information
b. processing
c. data
d. relationships
26. Where was a traditional file system normally stored?
a. database
b. data warehouse
c. closet
d. file cabinet
27. What is the name for an answer to a query that the DBMS sends back to the application?
a. DBMS result
b. query result set
c. question result
d. data result
28. The DBMS allows you to extrapolate information from your data by using a(n) ____.
a. query language
b. table generator
c. security system
d. access control
29. Which of the following products do not provide an enterprise database?
a. MS Access
b. MS SQL Server
c. IBM DB2
d. Oracle RDBMS
30. Data ____ is defined as "the condition in which all of the data in the database are consistent with the real-world events
and conditions."
a. redundancy
b. inconsistency
c. integrity
d. verification
31. Data ____ exists when it is possible to make changes in the data storage characteristics without affecting the application
program's ability to access the data.
a. integrity
b. independence
c. inconsistency
d. mining
32. The word ____ indicates that the facts have not yet been processed to reveal their meaning.
a. raw
b. information
c. data
d. dictionary
33. A(n) ____ allows the user to specify what must be done without specifying how it must be done.
a. nonprocedural language
b. procedural language
c. object-oriented language
d. script
34. ____ are the instructions and rules that govern the design and use of the database system.
a. Hardware
b. Software
c. Data
d. Procedures
35. Data management is a discipline that focuses on ____.
a. the management of end users
b. the proper generation, storage, and retrieval of data
c. the help items to be used by end users
d. the proper generation, storage, and retrieval of information
36. Human beings view data according to its ____ data format.
a. outer
b. logical
c. physical
d. structured
37. Data processing (DP) specialists are in existence because of ____.
a. the increase in the number of computers
b. the advent of database management systems
c. the need to convert manual files to a matching computer file system
d. the need to speed up processing of data
38. A database that supports data distributed across several different sites is called a(n) ____ database.
a. workgroup
b. distributed
c. enterprise
d. desktop
39. What is the most common classification applied to a DBMS?
a. number of users
b. database site location(s)
c. expected type and extent of use
d. software manufacturer
40. The content of any given field is the ____.
a. database
b. field value
c. entity
d. table
41. The DP specialist's job evolved into that of a ____.
a. procedural scripter
b. VP
c. data processing (DP) manager
d. programmer
42. The term ____ refers to an organization of components that define and regulate the collection, storage, management, and
use of data within a database environment.
a. DBMS
b. database system
c. hardware
d. people
43. Raw data must be properly ____ for storage, processing, and presentation.
a. grouped
b. sorted
c. arranged
d. formatted
44. All fields for a specific entity can be grouped together as a ____.
a. file
b. field
c. record
d. database
45. What is the name for data about data?
a. unique data
b. raw data
c. metadata
d. superdata
46. Because all the data access programs are subject to change when any of the files data storage characteristics change
(that is, changing the data type), the file system is said to exhibit ______.
a. data dependence
b. data independence
c. logical data format
d. physical data format
DATABASE CONCEPTS
CHAPTER TWO : DATA MODELS
1. What type of relationship is expressed with the phrase "Painter paints Painting"?
a. 1:M
b. 1:1
c. M:1
d. M:N
2. Database models can be grouped into two categories: conceptual models and ____ models.
a. implementation
b. logical
c. physical
d. query
3. A specific representation of an external view is known as a(n) ____.
a. physical model
b. external schema
c. conceptual model
d. relational schema
4. What type of relationship is expressed with the phrase "Student takes Class"?
a. 1:M
b. 1:1
c. M:1
d. M:N
5. Traditionally, database designers relied on ____ to help them develop a good design.
a. good judgment
b. experience
c. education
d. instinct
6. The hierarchical database model is based on a ____.
a. tree structure
b. lack of a parent segment
c. lack of a child segment
d. matrix
7. The ____ model presents a global view of the entire database.
a. network
b. physical
c. conceptual
d. logical
8. What is the name for the most current version of the ERD?
a. Chen model
b. Date model
c. Crow's Foot notation
d. SQL
9. The ERDM is primarily geared to business applications, while the OODM tends to focus on ____ applications.
a. educational
b. very specialized engineering and scientific
c. non-commercial Internet
d. personal
10. A(n) ____ is a brief, precise, and unambiguous description of a policy, procedure, or principle within a specific
organization.
a. constraint
b. entity
c. attribute
d. business rule
11. The ____ model is the relational model's challenge to the OODM.
a. ERDM
b. network
c. hierarchical
d. KR
12. When you can change the physical model without affecting the internal model, you have ____.
a. a logical database
b. conceptual separation
c. physical independence
d. physical dependence
13. A(n) ____ model is independent of both hardware and software.
a. conceptual
b. external
c. developmental
d. logical
14. The most widely used conceptual model is the ____ model.
a. implementation
b. ER
c. OO
d. internal
15. The basic building blocks of all data models are entities, attributes, relationships, and ____.
a. queries
b. multiples
c. business rules
d. constraints
16. A ____ is the equivalent of a file system's record type.
a. root
b. child
c. segment
d. parent
17. Which model represents the end users' view of the database?
a. internal
b. conceptual
c. physical
d. external
18. Many of the ____ data model's features formed the foundation for current data models.
a. file system
b. network
c. hierarchical
d. XML
19. The ____ model adapts a conceptual model to a specific DBMS.
a. entity
b. internal
c. external
d. database
20. Which data model contains the least semantics?
a. hierarchical
b. network
c. relational
d. object-oriented
21. In the OO data model, a class' ____ represents a real-world action such as finding a selected PERSON's name.
a. inheritance
b. hierarchy
c. interface
d. method
22. For most relational database software, the query language is ____.
a. String Query Language (SQL)
b. Structured Query Language (SQL)
c. 4GL
d. RDBMS
23. Which data model contains the most semantics?
a. hierarchical
b. network
c. relational
d. object-oriented
24. Using network database terminology, a relationship is called a(n) ____.
a. member
b. owner
c. set
d. table
25. In a network database each set is composed of two record types: an owner record and a ____ record.
a. root
b. child
c. member
d. renter
26. What type of relationship is expressed with the phrase "Employee manages Store"?
a. 1:M
b. 1:1
c. M:1
d. M:N
27. Which data model was developed most recently?
a. file system
b. extended relational
c. XML
d. relational
28. In response to the increasing complexity of applications, two new data models emerged: the object-oriented data model
and the ____ relational data model.
a. extended
b. flat-file
c. hierarchical
d. entity
29. A way of classifying data models is by degree of ____.
a. difficulty
b. knowledge
c. abstraction
d. unification
30. As a general rule, a noun in a business rule will translate into a(n) ____ in the model.
a. entity
b. attribute
c. constraint
d. relationship
31. With the dominance of the World Wide Web, there is a growing need to manage ____ information.
a. object-oriented
b. relational
c. structured
d. unstructured
32. The ____ model is the relational model's challenge to the OODM.
a. ERDM
b. network
c. hierarchical
d. KR
33. A(n) ____ of the overall database design is required to overcome the fact that data are viewed in different ways by
different people.
a. review
b. analysis
c. blueprint
d. footprint
34. A table is a matrix consisting of a series of row and column ____.
a. links
b. models
c. systems
d. intersections
35. Which data model was developed most recently?
a. file system
b. extended relational
c. XML
d. relational
36. Which model operates at the lowest level of abstraction?
a. conceptual
b. internal
c. external
d. physical
37. The hierarchical database model depicts a set of ____ relationships.
a. many-to-one
b. one-to-one
c. one-to-many
d. many-to-many
38. A relational database is a collection of ____.
a. common fields
b. field values
c. records
d. tables
39. The network database models have ____.
a. a navigational system that yields simple design
b. a simple system that promotes efficiency
c. an owner/member relationship that promotes database integrity
d. a great deal of structural independence
40. In the object-oriented data model (OODM), both data and their relationships are contained in a single structure known as
a(n) ____.
a. entity
b. attribute
c. constraint
d. object
41. Within the network model, the ____ is the conceptual organization of the entire database as viewed by the database
administrator.
a. DBTG
b. network subschema
c. data management language
d. network schema
42. The object-oriented model ____.
a. adds semantic content
b. has no standards
c. has a simple navigational system
d. has a low system overhead that speeds transactions
43. What modern development has drastically changed the role and scope of the database market?
a. object-oriented programming
b. the Internet
c. Y2K
d. mainframes
44. The ____ model adapts a conceptual model to a specific DBMS.
a. entity
b. internal
c. external
d. database
45. Data models were developed to ____.
a. model real-world events or conditions
b. deposit data within a single file
c. keep data within multiple data repositories
d. allow DBMSs to maintain loose control over the database activities
46. How is an entity represented in an ERD?
a. rectangle
b. circle
c. diamond
d. triangle
47. In the object-oriented data model (OODM), both data and their relationships are contained in a single structure known as
a(n) ____.
a. entity
b. attribute
c. constraint
d. object
48. A CUSTOMER ____ would be described by attributes such as customer last name, customer first name, customer phone,
customer address, and customer credit limit.
a. model
b. entity
c. relationship
d. constraint
49. One of the advantages of a relational database model is ____.
a. structural dependence
b. conceptual complexity
c. complex database design
d. easier database design
50. What model requires the most detail in its internal model?
a. network
b. relational
c. semantic
d. entity relationship
51. Each row in the relational table is known as an entity ____.
a. instance
b. relationship
c. attribute
d. model
52. What is the fastest and most direct source of business rules?
a. company documentation
b. interviews with end users
c. the Internet
d. a database design document
53. From an end-user perspective, any SQL-based relational database application involves three parts: a user interface, a set
of tables stored in the database, and the ____.
a. RDBMS
b. SQL "engine"
c. relationships between the tables
d. business rules
54. A ____ is the equivalent of a file system's record type.
a. root
b. child
c. segment
d. parent
