Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT

Objective:
In this lesson, you will learn about database concepts, define and understand database
management.

Database Management

atabase Management is a task related to creating, designing, organizing, handling, maintaining,

retrieving, and extracting information used within the system. It includes techniques in building-up a
file and in producing data for inquiry and reporting purposes.

Database Concepts
A database is a collection of related information about a subject organized in a useful manner. It also
provides a base or foundation for procedures such as retrieving information, drawing conclusions, and
making decisions. Information in database is organized and stored in a table with rows and columns, as
shown below.
Product Code
1002
1001
1004
1003
1005

Product Description
Mouse
Keyboard
Printer
UPS
Processor

Unit Cost
250.00
450.00
5,350.00
2,500.00
6,500.00

Quantity
30
25
10
15
5

Delivery Date
09-12-07
09-28-07
10-02-07
10-05-07
10-10-07

A record is a collection of data for a specific object or table. Sometimes, records are referred to as rows
within the table or database.

A field refers to the basic building block of any database, relational or not. The separate item of
information in a record (for example, the Product Code) is called a field. A field object represents a
column of data with a common data type and a common set of properties.

Data are known facts that could be recorded and stored on a computer media.

Types of Database

Personal Database designed to support 1 user.

Workgroup Database relatively small group of people who collaborate on the same project or
application.
Department Database a functional unit within the organization.
Enterprise Database the scope refers to the entire organization.

Type of Database
Personal
Workgroup
Department
Enterprise
Web/Internet

Number of User
1
5-25
25-100
>100
>1000

Typical Size
MB
MB-GB
GB
GB-TB
GB-TB

Database Application
It is an application program that is used to perform series of activities on behalf of database users. A
database application should be able to:

Create - add new data

Read - retrieve data
Update- modify data
Delete delete data

Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS)

A Relational DBMS allows you to group its data into one or more distinct tables that can be related to one
another by using fields which are common to each related data. It provides the following functions:

It allows you to create database structures containing fields, tables, and table relationships.
It lets you easily add new records, change field values in existing records, and delete records.
It contains a built-in report query language, which lets you obtain immediate answers to
questions you ask about your data.
It contains a built-in report generator, which lets you produce professional-looking formatted
reports from your data.
It provides protection of database through security, control, and recovery facilities.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Database Approach

Advantages
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Program data independence

Minimal data Redundancy
Improved data consistency
Improved data sharing
Increased productivity of application development
Enforcement of standards
Improved data quality
Improved data accessibility
Reduced program maintenance

Disadvantages (Cost and Risk)

1.
2.
3.
4.

New, specialized personnel

Installation and management cost
Conversion cost
Need for explicit back up and recovery

Lesson 2
WHY DO I NEED A DATABASE?
A Guide to Designing Your Database
Good database design ensures that your database is easy to maintain. You store data in tables
and each table contains data about only one subject. Therefore, you update a particular piece
of data, such as an address, in just one place and that change automatically appears all
through the database.

1. Know the purpose of your database

The first step in designing a database is to determine its purpose and how it's to be used.
Talk to the people who will use the database and know all the pertinent data what needs
to be stored, what reports need to be generated, and what forms are currently being used
to record the data.
2. Determine the fields that you need
Each field is a fact about a particular subject. For example, you might need to store the
following facts about your employees: employee name, address, city, state, and phone
number. You need to create a separate field for each of these facts. When determining
which fields you need, keep these design principles in mind:

Include all of the information you will need.

Store information in the smallest logical parts. For example, employee names are
often split into two fields, FirstName and LastName, so that it's easy to sort data by
LastName.
Don't create fields for data that consists of lists of multiple items. For example, in a
Suppliers table, if you create a Products field that contains a comma-separated list of
each product you receive from the supplier, it will be more difficult to find only the
suppliers that provide a particular product.
Don't include derived or calculated data (data that is the result of an expression). For
example, if you have a UnitPrice field and a Quantity field, don't create an additional
field that multiplies the values in these two fields.
Don't create fields that are similar to each other. For example, in a Suppliers table, if
you create the fields Product1, Product2, and Product3, it will be more difficult to find
all suppliers who provide a particular product. Also, you will have to change the design
of your database if a supplier provides more than three products. You need only one
field for products if you put that field in the Products table instead of in the Suppliers
table.

3. Determine the tables that you need

Design your tables on paper first, before actually using Access. This will help you create
and recreate the tables that will fit your objectives for the database.
Each table contains information about the same subject. For every table, there are fields
that contain individual facts about the table. Your list of fields will provide clues to the tables
you need.
4. Determine which table each field belongs to
When you decide which table each field belongs to, keep these design principles in mind:

Add the field to only one table.

Don't add the field to a table if it will result in the same information appearing in
multiple records in that table. If you determine that a field in a table will contain a lot of
duplicate information, that field is probably in the wrong table.
When each piece of information is stored only once, you update it in one place. This is
more efficient, and it also eliminates the possibility of duplicate entries that contain
different information.

5. Identify the field(s) with unique values in each record

Determine a primary key for each table that you design. This will uniquely identify the
record in the table. This will be used in establishing relationships with other tables in your
database. Primary keys are usually code-driven (e.g. EmployeeID, ProductCode).
6. Determine relationships among tables
A relationship works by matching data in key fields usually a field with the same name in
both tables. In most cases, these matching fields are the primary key from one table, which
provides a unique identifier for each record, and a foreign key in the other table.
7. Refine the design
After designing the tables and defining the relationships, you need to double-check on your
database before inputting data. This will make it easier for you to redesign your tables
because no actual data is inside the tables yet.
8. Enter data and create other database objects
When you have finally determined the structure that you defined for your tables, you are
now to input data.

Normalizing Your Database

When a database suffers from poor table organization, experts say its not normalized.
Normalization is the process of modifying a databases structure so that it fully conforms to the

relational model. Its basic goal is to remove redundant data from the database so that it is
made more flexible.
Normalization involves the following processes:
Ensure that each tables fields are uniquely identified by the tables primary key.
Ensure that each field represents a single piece of information. Do not store both City
and State in the same field, for instance.
Remove redundant data from the tables.
Remove repeating group fields if theres a possibility that more fields will be added to
the group.