Fall 2010

Course: CIS 556 Database

1. Define what a database is?

Answer: A collection of related data.

2. Define what data is and what it can represent?

Answer: A collection of facts where conclusions can be drawn

e.g: representing the facts in relation to data that will lead to informational data

3. What is a mini-World?

Answer: it is a combination of objects that relate to one another.

4. What do you need to build a successful application and accomplish it?

Answer: it is the understanding data that will create the mini-world will collaborate
and bring forth meaning.

5. What is a Database Management System (DBMS)? And does it offer any other tradeoffs?

Answer: A software package/ system to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a

computerized database.

Some of the given tradeoffs will be the overhead that it creates a delay in the result
rather enhances the performance of the system itself.

6. What are the two keys assigned in a database?

Answer: A Primary key and foreign key are the simplest components where
relational database theory is initiated.

Primary keys enforce entity integrity by uniquely identifying entity instances.

Foreign keys enforce referential integrity by completing an association between two
entities.

7. What should a database environment maintain?

Answer: A database maintains a system environment that is capable of applying a

unique applicability for the use of the Usability, and maintainability of the user
functionality of getting the job done.

8. Count out the main characteristics of the database Technology?

Answer:

 Data Abstractions

• Program data dependence

 • Allows changing data storage structures and operations without
having to change the DBMS access programs

 Support of multiple Views

• A data model is used to hide storage details and present the users
with a conceptual view of the database

 Insulation between programs and data

 Each user may see a different view of the database, which describes only the
data of interest to that user
• Self-contained nature of a database system
• A DBMS catalog stores the description of the database
• The description is called meta-data
• This allows the DBMS software to work with different databases

9. Formal Vs Informal?

Answer: Schema to identify the database:

A schema where to declare to have a definition and typical say of the schema
definition language key, index and other to formally create whereas we can have
informal that to the secondary keys if it was truly defined key in the formal sense for
e.g by picking on of the attributes and the informal keys can be one and many
multiple things to search for and we would look for a composite key made up of
more than one.

10. What is a sparse secondary key?

Answer: it is a subset with a primary key being identified and we will have a sparse index
based off of a city for e.g. so the only sparse will be them existing and tied to that instance
of the entry into that index if the instance exists

11. What are the two favorite words in IT?

Answer: It Depends

12. What is data abstraction?

Answer: data Model that is used to hide the storage model

13. Unit of Work. Discuss in terms of Database usage?

Answer: it is essentially a roll back which is a complete entire set of independent

actions

14. What is a schema?

Answer: identifying the structure of the way that it would be built where we would
have the free space elements in. Description: the other aspect that would then go into
the formal schema of the database of.
 Given E.g. schema of a relation can be the relational R defined
over a set of attributes a1, a2,…, an

Lecture Week 2:
15. Describe what XML Language is and what are the characteristics that apply to it?

Answer: XML is a markup language toolkit it can attach a tag give forth meaning to the
whole matter and task at hand:

• Markup
– Annotation of the wordings
– Enhances semantics (Meaning)
– Machine readable
16. What is the Advantage using the XML than using other technologies

Answer: XML can transmit the many into a format such as embedded. The idea is to
manage the data using the tags.
Advantages:
- Performance
- Predefine and maintain scalable size
Disadvantages:
- Volume of Data parsing routine more over head

17. Why do we have native XML databases?

Answer: One main reason to have multiple databases it is because we have multiple use for
XML
A lot of XML processing involved so we need something for proper storage and we need to
recreate the proposed databases where we just want to store the data and have the capability
to have XML functionalities to be implemented.

18. What word would you put in front of the database schema? What would be a description of
an index, and how often do you change your database schema? Explain.
Answer: Formal, we can identify it through the sparse index to match that criteria
and this is how we define it, Rarely that may have no program and ones that will
impact. So it depends on the impact outside of the schema itself. The schema should
not be changed often if so then we have weak structure based set for a database
which has no strong foundation to be able to apply other programs.
19. What are instances?

Answer: actual occurrences that will provide our instances presenting a group or
class where this is driven through the given primary key. In this case we will obtain
an actual set of data will be presented.

20. Are the record and the instance treated as synonymous is there a potential difference?

Answer: treat them both as they are;

Logical record a logical record a number of elemental attributes, and characteristics (holds
all the names of those attributes and characteristics).
Where as an instance is where we have actual data (Drives a unique set of data)

21. What Support does the Schema architecture give to a DBMS?

Answer:
– Program-data independence
– Support of multiple views of the data

22. What are the three Schema’s architecture are and describe one?

Answer:

 Internal schema
– At the internal level
– Describes data storage structures and access paths
– Typically uses a physical data model

 Conceptual schema
– At the conceptual level
– Describes the structure and constraints for the entire database
– Uses a conceptual or an implementation data model

 External schema
– At the external level
– Describes the various user views (instead of narrowing the number of instances //
we look at the attributes- another given situation can be Less instances Less data)
– Usually uses the same data model as the conceptual level

In conclusion views are means to make things to go faster.

23. Discuss how the differences between the conceptual and the external data independence in
relation to one another?

Answer:
 Logical data independence
– The capacity to change the conceptual schema without having to change
the external schemas and their application programs
24. What does DDL stand for? And who are they acknowledged by?
Answer: Data Definition Language
– Acknowledged through: Used by the DBA and database designers to specify the
 conceptual schema of a database
This can also be used to define the internal and external schemas
25. Discuss SDL and VDL and identify what their roles are going to be applied to?

Answer:
SDL Storage definition Language-- internal schema definition
View Definition Language—view the mappings to conceptual schema

26. Define: DML and name it?

Answer: Data Manipulation Language

This is used to specify the database with the retrievals updates to any certain
specification. This can be applied to a stand-alone

27. Discuss the DBMS Languages specifically the DML state the difference between the high-
level and low-level?

Answer:
o Low-level
 Procedural (one instance at a time)
 Record-at-a-time

o High-level
 Non-procedural
 Declarative
 Set-at-a-time

28. Who are the database system utilities restricted to? And what are the functionalities that are
processed through the database system utilities list at least four functionalities?
Answer:
DBA: Database Administrators have total access to the utilities it is their role to
maintain and the database through the following utility functionality:
- Loading
- Backing up
- Reorganizing
- Report generation utilities
- Performance
- Sorting
- User Monitoring
- Data compression

29. Traditional V.S Emerging what are the odds in percentile to that abided through all the
companies?

Answer: 93-95% to that of traditional and 5-7% for the Emerging Technology

30. Talk more about the traditional versus emerging Classifications of DBMS?

Answer:
• Traditional
– Relational
 – Network
– Hierarchical
• Emerging
– Object-oriented
– Object-relational
– Native XML

31. Talk more in detail about one of the emerging classifications?

Answer: one answer in specific can be: evolving around a set of

Most recent companies are moving on towards a bridged approach towards Relational and
Object this will strengthen the communication through the bridge and allow more
development towards the new techniques.

32. State what DBMS Components are used?

Answer:
• Storage and buffer manager
• Query processor
• Transaction processing

33. List at least two states for the DBMS Components?

Answer:
• Query processor
– Finds lowest cost access path
» Database statistics
» Indexes
• Transaction processing
– Logging
– Concurrency control
– Deadlock resolution

34. When you have a Deadlock in a transaction that loses? (One side)

Answer: how would you manage that?

35. What is the concept of Relational Model based on?

Answer: Relational model of data is based on the concept of a relation; meaning a

mathematical concept can be based on a set theory

36. Define what the domain is?

Answer: something that is bounded or limited that can be all the

 September 28, 2010
Lecture Week 3:

37. More on what a schema is intertwined to be accustomed to?

Answer: The schema is really a definition that defines the structure of this relation
and this relation is defined over a logically related attribute. The set of relationship between
the pieces of data; which we are interested of grouping together.

38. Domain what is it?

Answer: all the list of the valid values
39. Tuple=….
Answer: Rows

40. What is a Cartesian product?

Answer: Limit or all of the possibilities that we could possibly have and it can be at a
data time level.

41. Name two formal and informal terms?

Answer: Informal: Table, column, row,..
Formal: Relation, attribute, schema, domain,
42. When we work with general relationships what should we rely upon?

Answer: we need to focus on the component naming as it is very important to keep

track of how we use them in our database.

43. Where does the strict associated form of relationships come from? Why?

Answer: Schema; reliance upon the description and the form of structure

44. Is null considered to be a valid value to be stored?

Answer: it is a given value that is a valid input because it exists in the table and needs to be
set as a value rather it represents a data value in the database that has no existence in the
database

45. Where can null not exist? Why?

Answer: not existing in the primary key because it is not a unique set since its just a single
indicator that represents a null.

46. Example of a relational schema in the SQL..

Defining a relational schema in SQL representing a table and the indication that
contains it there through the following given code:
CREATE TABLE Customers (customer_id CHAR (4) NOTNULL,customer_name
VARCHAR(13),city VARCHAR(20), discount REAL);

47. How do we delete when modifying a relationship?

Answer: DROP TABLE Customers;

48. To retrieve the data there are many ways and we don’t always want the same instance or
look at other pieces of data to make use of it so we will then do what to accomplish?
 Answer: we are going to be looking for the current relation that we will be
retrieving the current relation. This relation will be described through the following
relational operations:

Select—satisfies a certain selection condition

Project --Some attributes not all
Join—look at the data that’s in multiple relations and be able to compare them
retrieved from the tables.

49. Describe the resulting instances of what we selected satisfies that condition?

Answer: if it satisfies the certain attributes to match or not then it will be set as an arbitrary
Boolean expression.

50. SELECT and PROJECT valid upon a new relation for any given instance differentiate upon
these two given relations?
Answer: Select certain criteria and each one will have the certain specific attributes
Project: Select off certain attributes and with that set of attributes are
duplicated then that is the set of duplicates will be eliminated
51. Sequence of operations
We will maintain several sequence operations where we will be able to combine the set of
form of a relational algebraic expression thoroughly a given (Query)

-- logically and mathematically we would have to work from inside the braces out that will
be defined through the relation then through the specified selection then it will determine
upon
the instances that we want to identify the given projection based on what was ordered.
– e.g on top: π firstName,lastName,salary(σ Dno=4(Employee))
– That will be responsible for retrieving the following: Retrieve the names and salaries
of employees who work in department 4
–

52. Name a set of operations that has to do with the binary operation from a mathematical set
theory?
Answer: Union, Intersection, Cartesian product

53. What is the typical normalization that is generally related together that will maintain the data
through what operation?

Answer: it is through aspect of joining the data together where we have more than
80% of the whole data base is stored in a joined format where everything is linked
together where we have everything stored in one place specifically.

WEEK 4.

54. Define the candidate key?

Answer: Candidate keys are the key where it is an attribute or a set of attributes which will
uniquely identify each instance of the relation.
You would go back to identify which of keys will be the primary key.
55. Why is a single set of values preferred over the composite key?

Answer: it doesn’t change often. In general if the choice does exist and if it changes; since
most database systems will not allow you to change it since we would complicate things.

56. When we are associating the composite key and unique the key itself.

Answer: so we need to set a minimal key as a pick of the category

57. How do we keep track of the naming of the key constraints in a specific database?

Answer: we will keep track of the process through documentation where we have a based
system keeping track of the differentiated system through what is a key or a composite key
or a super key

58. Referential integrity what is the reference that we take into consideration?

Answer: we need to identify that we have existence where if true then we wouldn’t want to
add any information that is not valid enough to apply to the associated relation. So
referential integrity will play a role to identify what exists in the domain for all the possible
valid association in the table. Then the result of this will be the data that we are inserting
will be correct.

59. What is the flipsides implemented to this whole process of the referential integrity
constraints?

Answer: The down side for this is another SELECT will be associated then we would
Follow it With a LookUp if it exists in the table then in the program we are just doing a look
up where we have three actions that are taking place instead of one instruction two selects
and one insert function. Where it will add additional workload were we will have a
performance hit of when do we do it. Then we have to build an application that is in
reference to the set up and link where we will then have good data why because we want the
data to be accurate.

60. What are the many different constraints that we will have?

Answer: each one has its own efficiency where the organizations will have a difference of
policy to do it:
• Implementations of the Business rules
• Domain Constraints
• General Constraints

RELATIONAL DESIGN
61. What is an anomaly?
Answer: In general things that should not happen.

62. Why does redundancy be consistent of the problem?

Answer:
• The update follow up (can turn into a problem change in one place needs to modify
the other changes in the other changes)
• Not making efficient use of the space
• Keeping track of records for more efficiency to manage the application
• Speed and Performance

63. What are the main Evil’s that exist in the Redundancy form? Talk about two after you have
listed them?

Answer:
• Controlled-redundancy:Trade-off between querying efficiency and update/deletion
efficiency
• Integrity constraints: in particular functional dependencies, can be used to identify
schemas with such problems and to suggest refinements
• Main Refinement: decomposition

64. Does scalability play into the check list long term in your own opinion?

Answer: it will impact the project directly through the long term process of the database that
holds data that will be scalable for the long term.

65. What is a functional dependency?

Answer: a functional dependency is a statement where all allowable relation instances are
present for a relation schema.
Example towards accepting the dependency through considering the realtion

66. What are the steps that will be applied to implement the normalization?
Answer:
• Eliminate the redundant data verify and not that we need to find it to eliminate it
• Identify that number one will be gone
• We have to look into the primary key as it is functionally dependent on that key
• We also run the attributes of every and each one acknowledged

67. What two types of anomalies are used to implement a modification for the database?
Answer:
Insertion Anomaly: inserting a certain fact that has to do with the relation and association to
that.
Deletion anomaly: deletion modification of a tuple in the database that are also in specific
relation and association of that relationship.

68. How significant are Domains Explain.

Answer: Domains to go out and validate the integrity of the data in place
69. How does Algorithm Closure impact the process of populating your database?

Answer: in the beginning when we ask the client all the functional dependencies to
get all the work into the application

70. What is the difference between the key and superkey?

Answer:
KEY: will set a constraint that will identify the instance
SUPERKEY: At least one attribute that is already a candidate key which wil be identified by
that where from an efficiency stand point that is minimal

WeEk 5: Data Modeling Using the Entity-Relationship Model

71. What would be the first thing that we will be applying to the relationship data model
architecture? Are we able to communicate through the objects

Answer: it is about data and data only we can build this data model and the diagram
that we are going to process. So we need to understand the data as a prime initiate
where we have objects where we have things with data. Where we have objects
called entities instead of the data about the data we have attributes. Yes the objects
are able to relate to each other.

72. What is the overall general question that we ask when initiating a project asking? What are
all the things that we add to apply to the database?

Answer: so we would look at the requirements first then tie in all the relationships
and basically mapping them. Possibilities are laid out through the representation of
the entire organization then we go back to the requirements by checking out all the
pieces that you need to check the next step to go through entities and that exist and
that we don’t need to build that we ultimately need to produce.

73. Why is everything that we process in the initial stand point considered to be critical to what
extent is the base significant in the database?

Answer: we need to understand the processes then we can’t design the database set
upon the number of things we will have to think about the situation then model after
the processing of the brain storming impact.

74. Basically from a process stand point of a database. What are the typical steps to follow?

Answer: we will focus on the following:

• Requirements—we will look for the interview process
• The next step will be to focus on the written set of user’s
requirements
• Third step into more depth of the process would be the Data
Requirements then the set of the functional requirements that the
will be done to process the retrieval and update transactions
75. What are the two types companies approach this?
 Answer:
1. Would be the process—context of what is going to use--where the data
would revolve around this. (Faster Development)
Downside what the options are and we can MISS on small benefits to the
business because we have only focused on the processes that we have
focused on.
2. Would be the data—this would be more of a data oriented sequence where
both ways will function

75. What happens when we use the Strict approach for the data to be manipulated into the
database at project hand to be built?

Answer: the context can be lost or the importance of this important piece of
data whether I am ever going to use it but also it will exist
76. What are the high level descriptions that will be assigned to the conceptual data model?

Answer:
• Entities
• Relationships
• Constraints

77. What are some of the database design processes to be implemented in the database>

Answer: the database management system will then own the following
implementation model:

• Relational
• Object-oriented
• Object-relational

78. What is the logical design discussing?

Answer: we have the Data modeling mapping

This is based in the conceptual schema where it is a high-level set to the implementation
stand point

79. What is my physical layer consisting of in my Database?

Answer:
• Internal storage structure
• Access paths
• File organizations
• Application programs are designed and implemented as
database transactions
80. What is an entity?

Answer: A collection of distinguishable real-world objects with common properties

• Data type

81. What does a double oval drawing describe with respect to the attributes?

Answer:
 Multiple occurrences of that attribute

82. Discuss the Stored Versus the derived

Answer: If you can derive it then you don’t store it unless in reality it takes too much
time to calculate it then it will store it.

83.when we are discussing a Foreign key in another relation how are the attributes presented as?

Answer: tightly bound together where they have to exist in all the valid values where we
would be inserting a value into that then I should get an error then there is an error in the
integrity of

84. How do we describe the foreign key to that of the primary key and how are the values in a
foreign key identified.

Answer: Primary key says unique not known

Foreign key has to exist as a primary key value in the other relation or can be null
my data where the foreign keys are always coming from the value of that foreign key.

85. what does Null Stand for?

Answer: null: it means unknown or not applicable

86. what does DDL and DML Stand for?

Answer:
DDL Data definition language
DML Data Manipulation language

87.what is the unit of Work?

Answer: it is start to finish from point to point but the way we use the way of work we have
to do all of the work from point to point rather we need to finish all the load of work or then
we would need to go back to the original state and not complete and reach the finish.

88. When can we have a many to many?

Answer: many to many I need to build a completely new relation and the relation is built of
the primary key of the link to build together.

89. What a Foreign key would be presented as through the following?

Answer: it is a primary key in another entity. a foreign key is where I have a primary key of
another relation stored on my instance account number then get to the account relation with
the one account

90. Discuss Data Modeling Using the Entity-Relationship Model through what exists in the
 organization.

Answer: Design right from the first time-- how do we build the functionality it is only a
representation of the data that you have available within the organization and it doesn't
represent what is in the organization

91. What is an ERD? And as you word the how do you read such an ERD?

Answer: ERD Entity-Relationship Diagram

and it is read Top-Down & Left to Right

92. What is the Domain key that is assigned to it?

Answer: Minor-Entity this is then assigned by the domain of possible values that will go into
as the possible values. We ave an attribute plus a reference to it where we have all the minor
entities that we can relate back to it as an association with the Minor- Entity Value.

93. what is a Domain?

Answer:List of all the possible Valid Values