1. Explain the importance and advantages of databases in an organization.

Answer:

Databases are a collection of organized information that can easily be accessed, managed and
updated. Database systems are very important to your business because they communicate
information related to your sales transactions, product inventory, customer profiles and marketing
activities. Thus, database plays an important role in an organization. This is because a good database
system would bring rapid progress in the organization. The importance of a database for an
organization is that it simplify the search and utilization of information in an organization and with a
good database, an organization can monitor the progress of the operation well, so they can take quick
and appropriate steps if a problem occurs. It facilitate the members in the data access activities include
data acquisition and manipulation of data such as add and delete data through the authority that has
been given. It keeps the organization’s data security, because any data can be protected by provide
login and password for each data. The database can help to determine a better strategy for the
advancement of an organization in the future. Also it can save on operating costs for an organization /
company to manage information. With a database of all the information the organization can be well
organized so that it can be accessed quickly and easily without spending much money.
On the other hand, databases provides advantages to an organizations such as data integration
in which master files are combined into large “pools” of data that many application programs access.
Data sharing in which the integrated data are more easily shared with authorized users and databases
are easily browsed to research a problem or obtain detailed information underlying a report. Also,
there is minimal data redundancy and data inconsistencies. Because data items are usually stored only
once, data redundancy and data inconsistencies are minimized. Then, data independence because data
and the programs that use them are independent of each other, each can be changed without changing
the other. This facilitates programming and simplifies data management. Lastly, cross-functional
analysis in which in a database system, relationships, such as the association between selling costs and
promotional campaigns, can be explicitly defined and used in the preparation of management reports.
2. What is a database system, and how does it differ from file oriented systems?

Answer:

A database is an organized collection of structured information, or data, typically stored

electronically in a computer system. Database systems are very important to your business because they
communicate information related to your sales transactions, product inventory, customer profiles and
marketing activities. A database is usually controlled by a database management system (DBMS).
Database management system is used when security constraints are high. Together, the data and the
DBMS, along with the applications that are associated with them, are referred to as a database system.
While file oriented systems is a general, easy-to-use system to store general files which require less
security and constraints. It handles the way of reading and writing data to the hard disk. The file system
is installed into the computer with the operating system. Operating systems such as Windows and Linux
have their own file system. The main difference between file system and DBMS is that the file system
helps to store a collection of raw data files into the hard disk while the DBMS helps to easily store,
retrieve and manipulate data in a database. File system stores unstructured data as isolated data
files/entities and data redundancy is more in file management system. While Database Management
System stores structured data which have well defined constraints and interrelation and data
redundancy is less in database management system.
3. Explain the difference between logical and physical views of a database.

Answer:

The logical view is how people conceptually organize, view, and understand the relationships
among data items. While physical view refers to the way data are physically arranged and stored in the
computer system. And in viewing a database, there can be many different ways users can view a
database depending on their needs and purposes. Physical view refers to the way data are physically
stored and processed in a database. On the other side, logical view is designed to suit the need of
different users by representing data in a meaningful format.  Another word, the logical view tells the
users, in their term, what is in the database. So while there can be numerous logical views of a database
to suit the needs of the users, there can only be one physical view of a database because physical view
deals with the physical storage of information on a storage device. Moreover, the physical view deals
with the actual, physical arrangement and location of data in the direct access storage devices (DASDs).
Database specialists use the physical view to make efficient use of storage and processing resources.
Users, however, may wish to see data differently from how they are stored, and they do not want to
know all the technical details of physical storage. After all, a business user is primarily interested in using
the information, not in how it is stored. The logical view/user’s view, of a database program represents
data in a format that is meaningful to a user and to the software programs that process those data. That
is, the logical view tells the user, in user terms, what is in the database. One strength of a DBMS is that
while there is only one physical view of the data, there can be an endless number of different logical
views. This feature allows users to see database information in a more business-related way rather than
from a technical, processing viewpoint. Thus the logical view refers to the way user views data, and the
physical view to the way the data are physically stored and processed.