UC1 WEEK 1

Topic: DATABASE I

DATABASE CONCEPTS AND STRUCTURE – The Elements that make up a Database

DATA: are basic facts and values suitable for processing by a computer. Every tasks the computer carries out works with data in a way.
Therefore, without data, computers will be pretty useless. The most common form of data are text and numbers. Data can also include
images, photographs, maps, sounds, videos and other types.

DATABASE: is an organized collection of data for easy search and retrieval. So instead of having all the data in a list with random order, a
database provides a structure to organize the data.

Features of a database
1. Files are designed as tables.
2. Tables comprise of rows (or records) and columns (or fields).
3. All the data values in a single field or column are of the same kind (data type) e.g. all the phone numbers are numbers.
4. Data value in a single record can consist of different types e.g. numbers for phone number and text for name.
5. There cannot be an empty row or column. Data value may be missing but there are no blank records or fields.

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DBMS): is a specialized software used to manage the data in a database. The DBMS provides
the tools to input, store, retrieve, manage, organize and analyze the data. The purpose of database management system is to store and
transform data into information to support decision making. The most widely used ones are MS Access on Microsoft systems and FileMaker
on MAC systems. Other commonly used database software are Oracle, MySQL, SAP, dBase, SQL Server, Sybase, etc.

FIELD: is an attribute that represent a group of related data. For example, if we have a database of customers in an organization, each
customer will have an ID number, name, telephone number. Each of these attributes are the fields of the database.
RECORDS: is a collection of related attributes that make up a single entry in a database. It is a row of related data in a database table that
consists of single values from each column or field. In the example given in fields, each customer data is entered below each of the fields. A
row of data which cuts across each fields to make up a unique customer entry is a record in the database.
TABLE: consists of rows and columns of information in a database.
FILE: is an organized collection of the records and structure that make up a database. File in a database contains all the information related
to the database including the relationships, structure, query, data, schema and all related information.
KEY: a field in a record that holds unique data which can best be used to identify a particular record from all other records in the database.
As an identifier, each key must have a unique value for records.
For example, if we have a database of customers in an organization, each customer will have an ID number, name, telephone number,
address, etc. Two or more people can bear about the same name or have the same address but no two persons can have the same ID number,
telephone number, or even account number. Therefore, we can use either the ID number, telephone number or account number as the key in
our database.
QUERY: is used to find specific information and to examine relationships in the database. You can ask questions about any data in a
database using query.

Types of DBMS
The types of DBMS based on data model are as follows −
● Relational database.
● Object oriented database.
● Hierarchical database.
● Network database.
Relation Database
A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a system where data is organized in two-dimensional tables using rows and columns.
This is one of the most popular data models which is used in industries. It is based on SQL.
Every table in a database has a key field which uniquely identifies each record.
This type of system is the most widely used DBMS.
Relational database management system software is available for personal computers, workstation and large mainframe systems.
For example − Oracle Database, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server etc.
Std ID Name City

201 Bob Hyderabad

204 Lucky Chennai

205 Pinky Bangalore

In the above student table Std ID, Name and city are called as attributes and their values. Std ID is a primary key attribute which uniquely
identifies each record in the student table.
Object Oriented Database
It is a system where information or data is represented in the form of objects which is used in object-oriented programming.
● It is a combination of relational database concepts and object-oriented principles.
● Relational database concepts are concurrency control, transactions, etc.
● OOPs principles are data encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.
● It requires less code and is easy to maintain.
For example − Object DB software.
The object oriented database is represented in diagram format below −
Hierarchical Database
It is a system where the data elements have a one to many relationship (1: N). Here data is organized like a tree which is similar to a folder
structure in your computer system.
● The hierarchy starts from the root node, connecting all the child nodes to the parent node.
● It is used in industry on mainframe platforms.
For example− IMS(IBM), Windows registry (Microsoft).
An example of a hierarchical database is given below −

Network database
A Network database management system is a system where the data elements maintain one to one relationship (1: 1) or many to many
relationship (N: N).
It also has a hierarchical structure, but the data is organized like a graph and it is allowed to have more than one parent for one child record.
Example
Teachers can teach in multiple departments. This is shown below −
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Describe using an example, how databases are used and managed.
2. What is data?
3. List six types/forms/formats of data
4. What is a database?
5. A database organize data in ______________ form known as ___________________________
6. Describe how a database works using the employees in an organization as examples.
7. State the three features of a database.
8. Describe the concept ‘Data Integrity’.
9. What is DBMS? State the purpose of DBMS.
10. The most widely used DBMS in windows is ______________ and _______________ on MAC systems.
11. List seven types of DBMS.
12. Describe the following DBMS concepts: fields, records, table, file, key, and query.

Video Links:
Database and Spreadsheet Software: Excel, Access, dBase & Lotus 1-2-3 - Video & Lesson Transcript |
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