Exercises Week 1
1.
Discuss each of the following terms:
1. data
2. field
3. record
4. file
2. What is data redundancy?
3. Discuss the disadvantages of file-based systems.
4. Explain the difference between data and information.
5. Use Figure 1.2 (below) to answer the following questions.
1. In the table, how many records does the file contain?
2. How many fields are there per record?
3. What problem would you encounter if you wanted to produce a listing by city?
4. How would you solve this problem by altering the file structure?
6. What is a database management system (DBMS)?
7. What are the properties of a DBMS?
8. Provide three examples of a real-world database (e.g., the library contains a database of books).
How is a DBMS distinguished from a file-based system?
9. What is data independence and why is it important?
10. What is the purpose of managing information?
11. Discuss the uses of databases in a business environment.
12. What is metadata?
13. What is a data model?
14. What is a high-level conceptual data model?
15. What is an entity? An attribute? A relationship?
16. Describe the purpose of a conceptual design.
17. How is a conceptual design different from a logical design?
18. What is an external model?
19. What is a conceptual model?
20. What is an internal model?
21. What is a physical model?
22. Which model does the database administrator work with?
23. Which model does the end user work with?
24. What is logical data independence?
25. What is physical data independence?
