Database: A collection of related data.

Data: Known facts that can be recorded and have an

implicit meaning.
Database Management System (DBMS): A software
package/ system to store and manage databases.
Entities: Entities are specific things or objects in the mini-
world that are represented in the database.
Attributes: Properties used to describe an entity.
Relationships: Relates two or more distinct entities with a
specific meaning.
Query: Retrieve from tables.
Update: Change in tables.
Meta-data: data about data. Information the describe the
tables in the database.
Isolation property: Each transaction is independent from
the other.
Atomicity property: Either execute all the lines
successfully or none.
Database Administrator (DBA): Manages the database.
Database Designer: Specify the data and structures.
End User: Users who access the database.
Systems analysts: Determine the requirements for end
users.
Application programmers: Write code to allow end user
to access database based on the requirements from systems
analysts.
Database Schema: The description of a database. Includes
descriptions of the database structure, data types, and the
constraints on the database.
Schema Diagram: An illustrative display of (most aspects
of) a database schema.
Database State (Also called database instance):
The actual data stored in a database at a particular moment
in time. This includes the collection of all the data in the
database. (Refers to the content of a database at a moment
in time.)
Initial Database State: Refers to the database state when
it is initially loaded into the system.
Valid State: A state that satisfies the structure and
constraints of the database.
Key: attribute which value in each row must be unique.
Primary key (PK): An attribute that identify all table
records.
Surrogate key: Sometimes row-ids or sequential numbers
are assigned as keys to identify the rows in a table.
Domain: defines a structure or format that all values of an
attribute must follow.
Null value: is used to represent values that are unknown or
not available or inapplicable.
Constraints: are conditions that must hold on all valid
relation states.
NOT NULL: Ensures that a column cannot have a NULL
value.
UNIQUE: Ensures that all values in a column are different.
PRIMARY KEY: A combination of a NOT NULL and UNIQUE.
Uniquely identifies each row in a table
FOREIGN KEY: Uniquely identifies a row/record in another
table.
CHECK: Ensures that all values in a column satisfies a
specific condition.
DEFAULT: Sets a default value for a column when no value
is specified.
INDEX: Used to create and retrieve data from the database
very quickly.
Candidate key: A super key with no repeated attribute is
called candidate key.
Key constraint: Ensuring that all rows in a relation
satisfy the rules of the PK. (Also: Attributes whose
values are distinct for each individual entity in entity
set).
Conceptual design: A high-level description of the
database.
Entity type: A collection of entities that have
the same attributes. Should be a noun.
Entity sets: Represent the sets of all possible
entities.
Key attribute: An attribute that has to be unique and
can be used to identify an entity (PK in the database).
Value sets (or domain of values): Specifies set of
values that may be assigned to that attribute for each
individual entity.
Roll names: Specify the role that an entity plays in each
relationship instance. (Should be a verb and read from left to
right).
Recursive relationship: When an entity is in a relationship
with another entity of the same entity type.
Total participation: Indicate if an entity in one side must
be related to an entity in the other side.
Partial participation: Indicate if an entity in one side does
not have to be related to an entity in the other side.
Cardinality Ratio for Binary Relationship: The number
of entities to which another entity can be associated via a
relationship set.
One-to-one (1:1): An entity in one set is associated with at
most one entity in another.
Many-to-many (N:M): Entities of either set may be
associated with any number of entities in the other.
One-to-many (1:M): An entity in the first set is associated
with 0 or more entities in the second set, but an entity in the
second set can be associated with at most one entity in the
first.
Many-to-one (M:1): Similar to one-to-many but the
reversal (An entity in the second set is associated with 0 or
more entities in the first set, but an entity in the first set can
be associated with at most one entity in the second.)
Identifying relationship: Relates a weak entity type to its
owner. (Always has a total participation constraint)
Subclass Entity: inherits all attributes and relationships of
superclass.
Specialization: Process of defining a set of subclasses of an
entity type. (Generate subclasses from one entity type)
Generalization: Process of defining a generalized entity
type from the given entity types. (Generate a superclass
from multiple entity types)
Disjointness constraint: Specify if the subclasses of the
specialization must be disjointed.
Structured Query Language (SQL): a programming
language used to query and manipulate data.
Char: fixed length ‘n’ number of characters.
Varchar: variable-length ‘n’ number of characters.
Int: Numerical data. Cannot be a fraction.
Float: Numerical data that can be a fraction.
Boolean: True or False.
Relational Algebra: is the basic set of operations for the
relational model.
Functional dependencies (FDs): Are used to specify
formal measures of the "goodness" of relational designs.
Normalization: The process of decomposing unsatisfactory
"bad" relations by breaking up their attributes into smaller
relations.
Normal form: Condition using keys and FDs of a relation to
certify whether a relation schema is in a particular normal
form.
Denormalization: The process of storing the join of higher
normal form relations as a base relation—which is in a lower
normal form.
key K: is a superkey with the additional property that
removal of any attribute from K will cause K not to be a
superkey any more.
nested relations: attributes whose values for an
individual tuple are non-atomic.
Prime attribute: An attribute that is member of the
primary key K.
Full functional dependency: a FD Y -> Z where
removal of any attribute from Y means the FD does not
hold any more.
second normal form (2NF): if every non-prime attribute
A in R is fully functionally dependent on the primary key.
Transitive functional dependency: a FD X -> Z that
can be derived from two FDs X -> Y and Y -> Z.
third normal form (3NF): if it is in 2NF and no non-prime
attribute A in R is transitively dependent on the primary key.
1st normal form: All attributes depend on the key.
2nd normal form: All attributes depend on the whole key.
3rd normal form: All attributes depend on nothing but the
key.
Prime Attribute: Any attribute involved in a candidate
key.