• talk about d a t a b a s e s

• talk about d a t a p r o c e s s i n g

4 Databases • a s k for a n d give a d v i c e

• talk about c o m p a n y d e p a r t m e n t s

Database basics
Speaking W h a t database p r o d u c t s d o y o u k n o w a n d use at w o r k a n d at home?

Listening 2 bEZH L i s t e n t o t w o colleagues at a b o o k c o m p a n y . Chris needs some

i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m t h e p r o d u c t i o n database. C o m p l e t e t h i s dialogue.
Chris: T i m , (1)_ . you help me Tracking Resource Database

a m o m e n t , please?
Tim: Sure. W h a t ' s t h e (2)_ TRD: Product Data at your fingertips!
Chris: I need s o m e ( 3 ) TRD is the business tool used in the development and
management of products throughout their life cycle.

about a book budget from the Please note the revised function on all

database. screens in TRD provides on screen guidance and links

to useful users documentation

Tim: OK.
Chris: But I d o n ' t k n o w h o w t o
(4) it.
Tim: No p r o b l e m .
Tracking Resource Database
Chris: So w h a t d o I d o first?
Tim: Enter y o u r n a m e a n d
(5) a n d press enter.
Chris: E r m ... ?
Tim: You have g o t a password?
Chris: Erm, I can't (6) it.
Tim: Use m i n e . T y p e i n t evans,
that's t - e - v - a - n - s , then
snavet. s - n - a - v - e - t .
Chris: OK.
Tim: N o w press Enter. N o w w h a t is
t h e n a m e of t h e book?
Chris: Basic French.
Tim: OK. T y p e i n t h a t i n t h e t i t l e
(7) i n t h e first
(8) N o w press Find.
T h e r e i t is. OK, b u d g e t . Click
(9) Publishing and
s c r o l l d o w n t o Plant costs a n d
click on that.
Chris: Good. There's t h e b u d g e t i n t h e
s e c o n d row. T h a n k s , T i m .
Tim: No p r o b l e m .

Pmfjti t Uttfl Basic French

Budget t M IO d.itf
40 OOO
10000 8000 +2 000
13000 12000 + 1 000
Milium tfia 5000 0 +5 000
. i.-H.m 7000 1 000 +6 000
rtg 5000 6 000 -1 000

27 000 +13 000

 Language

Asking people to do things

Could you help me, please?

Sure.
•

Please could you help?

No problem.
We use can/could/would you + infinitive without to Can you explain what a database is, please?
when we ask somebody to do something for us. I'm afraid 1 can't.
Please can you explain what a database is?
I'm sorry, 1 can't.
Would you explain that, please?
Could you come back a bit later? I'm busy right now.

O m^T'filf L i s t e n a n d repeat these q u e s t i o n s .

1 C o u l d y o u h e l p me, please?
2 Please c o u l d y o u h e l p me?
3 W o u l d y o u h e l p m e w i t h t h i s software?
4 Please c o u l d y o u e x p l a i n h o w t o d o that?
5 Please w o u l d y o u give m e y o u r p a s s w o r d ?

Speaking 4 W o r k i n pairs. S t u d e n t A: m a k e q u e s t i o n s f r o m t h e p r o m p t s . S t u d e n t B: answer

yes o r no a n d give a reason w h y n o t (if y o u r a n s w e r is n o ) .
Example: type/name
Could you type in your name, please?
1 open/window
2 t u r n up/air c o n d i t i o n i n g
3 t u r n down/mp3 player
4 give/you/pen
5 answer/phone
6 give/password

5 W o r k i n pairs. Use t h e e x a m p l e of a database b e l o w t o e x p l a i n t o y o u r p a r t n e r

w h a t a database is. Use these w o r d s : store, access, get, fields, columns, rows.
Example: A database is used to ... . This is a ... .

First Name Last Name Department Title Phone ext.

John Smith Development Engineer 123

Jane Doe Finance Auditor 454

6 W h y d o p e o p l e a n d o r g a n i s a t i o n s use databases? Discuss w i t h t h e g r o u p .

Example: They use databases to find out....

29
 Data processing
Vocabulary M a t c h t h e headings i n t h e b o x t o t h e d a t a p r o c e s s i n g steps a-f.

data coding data collection data entry data sorting

data tabulation data validation

Gather t h e r a w d a t a w h i c h y o u w a n t t o process. J \ 1 \

A r r a n g e a n d s y s t e m i s e t h e data. •
Clean t h e d a t a a n d d o u b l e - c h e c k for faults a n d inconsistencies

11
Enter t h e d a t a i n t o a s y s t e m . •
A r r a n g e t h e d a t a i n t o t a b l e f o r m a t so t h a t i t can be analysed. ) •

Create categories t o organise t h e d a t a i n t o relevant groups

2 Put t h e d a t a p r o c e s s i n g steps i n 1 i n t o t h e c o r r e c t order.

Listening 3 E ff L i s t e n t o an IT e x p e r t d e s c r i b i n g t h e d a t a p r o c e s s i n g steps t o a
colleague. Check y o u r answers t o 1 a n d 2.

L i s t e n a n d m a r k t h e s y l l a b l e stress i n these n o u n s a n d v e r b s .
1 entry 7 gather
2 collection 8 create
3 tabulation 9 arrange
4 validation 10 enter
5 sorting 11 double-check
6 coding 12 format

5 L i s t e n again a n d repeat t h e w o r d s .

30 Databases
 Vocabulary 6 C o m p l e t e these sentences w i t h t h e w o r d s i n t h e b o x .

about at between for from in into of to

Example: This database is used to store our financial information.

1 W h a t ' s t h e difference a database a n d a spreadsheet?
2 A database is s t o r i n g data.
3 T h e s c h o o l has i n f o r m a t i o n students.
4 Can p e o p l e access t h e s y s t e m t h e same time?
5 A database is a c o l l e c t i o n records.
6 You r e t r i e v e i n f o r m a t i o n t h e database.
7 Ynn enter t h e rlata the system
8 W h i c h software rln y n n use ynur work?

Language

Quick questions to check understanding

That's called collection. OK?

We use these when we are making sure the other That's coding? Got that?
person understands the statement. That's tabulation. All right?
We call that sorting. Understood?

Speaking 7 W o r k i n pairs. E x p l a i n t h e d a t a p r o c e s s i n g steps f r o m 1 i n y o u r o w n w o r d s .

8 L o o k at t h e e x a m p l e s of database software below. W h a t database software d o

y o u know? W h a t is i t used for?