INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTING
 MODULE 6

INFORMATION SYSTEM
AND DATABASE
• Describe the role of each element in an information
system
• Explain database concepts and its purposes
• Explain the importance of database systems
• An information system (IS) refers to a collection of multiple
pieces of equipment involved in the dissemination of
information.
• Hardware, software, computer system connections and
information, information system users, and the system’s
housing are all part of an IS.
Other definitions of IS:
• Information systems (IS) is the study of complementary
networks of hardware and software that people and
organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and
distribute data.
• Information systems are combinations of hardware,
software, and telecommunications networks that people
build and use to collect, create, and distribute useful data,
typically in organizational settings.
There are several types of information systems, the following
are the common types:
• Transaction processing systems
• Management information systems
• Decision support systems
• Executive information systems
The six elements of a Computer Based Informations
System (CBIS) are:
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• Procedures
• People
• Communication
Hardware:
• Hardware refers to the computers themselves, along with
any and all peripherals, including servers, routers,
monitors, printers and storage devices.
• A CBIS may use a single computer or thousands.
Software:
• Software tells the hardware how to function.
• It gathers, organizes and manipulates data and carries out
instructions.
• Everything you do using a computer is done by the
software.
Data:
• Just as hardware cannot function without software,
software cannot function without data.
• This is the information part of an information system, and
whether that is statistical data, sets of instructions, lists of
names or even graphics and animations, it is all key to a
CBIS.
Procedures:
• Rules, descriptions and instructions for how things are
done.
• Frequently covered in instruction or user manuals that
describe how to use the hardware, software and data.
People:
• People are the most often overlooked and most important
part of a computer-based information system.
• It is people who design and operate the software, input the
data, build the hardware and keep it running, write the
procedures and it is ultimately people who determine the
success or failure of a CBIS.
Communication:
• Communication is left out of some lists of CBIS elements,
because parts of it are covered under hardware.
• The components that allow one computer to communicate
with another are hardware and are controlled by software.
• If communication between people is included in this
element, though, it is an important element.
• Its an organized collection of information which can easily be
retrieved. Such as:
• Telephone Book
• Mailing List
• Address List
• Set of data related for a specific purpose or topic.
• It includes tools needed to work with data, such as:
• Sorting
• Filtering
• Extracting
• Summarizing
Table
• A list of related information in columns and rows
• Each Row in a table is considered a Record (your
information in the phone book is a record)
• Each Column in the table is a category or a Field (a
column of phone numbers in the phone book would be
considered field)
• One item of data, such as your phone number in the
phone book is called a Data value
Query
• A query is a database object that can be used to extract or
show information in Datasheet view.
• You can use a query to show all customers who has
ordered a certain product.
• A query can get its data from one or more tables, from
existing queries, or from a combination of the two. The
tables or queries from which a query gets its data are
referred to as its record source.
Forms
• A form is a database object that you can use to enter, edit,
or display data from a table or a query.
• For example, certain users might need to see only several
fields in a table with many fields. Providing those users
with a form that contains just those fields makes it easier
for them to use the database.
• A visually attractive form makes working with the database
more pleasant and more efficient, and it can also help
prevent incorrect data from being entered.
Report
• A report is another database object which can be use to
summarize information from a table or query.
• Reports can be very useful when you have already
created queries from tables, and you want to analyze or
summarize those queries so that they can be ready for
printing. And you can be able to choose which fields you
want in your report.
Macros
• A macro can be used to create an action or set of actions
that can be used to automate a task.
• You can create a macro to perform a specific series of
actions.
• Macros can be contained in macro objects or they can be
embedded into the forms and reports.
Primary Keys
• A primary key is a field or set of fields in your table that
acts as a unique identifier for every row.
• In a relational database you divide your information into
separate tables. You then use table relationships and
primary keys to bring the information together.
• Each table in a database must have a primary key before
it can be related to another table.
Relationships
• A relationship is a situation that exists between two
relational database tables when one table has a foreign
key that references the primary key of the other table.
• Relationships allow relational databases to split and store
data in different tables, while linking disparate data items.
For example, a Customer ID field in the Customers table
might also appear in the Accounts table. In the Customers
table, it is the primary key. In the Accounts table it is called a
foreign key. A foreign key, simply stated, is another table's
primary key.
Costumers Accounts
Primary Key Costumer ID # (*) Costumer ID # Foreign Key
Name Account # (*)
Address Account Type
City Data Opened
Phone# Balance
There are three types of relationships:
• One-to-One
• One-to-Many
• Many-to-Many
• One-to-One relationship exist when a primary record from
the primary table has only one related record in the related
table.
• You might use a one-to-one relationship to divide a table
with many fields, to isolate part of a table for security
reasons, or to store information that applies only to a
subset of the main table
• One-to-Many relationship exist when a primary record
from the primary table is related to many records in the
related table.
• One customer can have many accounts
• One customer can order many products
• One person may have many phone numbers
• A person may have multiple e-mail addresses
• A music CD usually has many songs
• Many-to-Many relationship exist when a primary record
from the primary table is related to many records in the
related table AND a related record in the related table is
also related to many records in the primary table.
• People can have many address; and addresses may have many
people
• A single order can include more than one product. On the other hand,
a single product can appear on many orders.
• A supplier can carry many products; and a single product may be
available from many suppliers
• A student takes many classes; and each class has many students
■ In the early days, database applications were built on top
of file systems
■ Drawbacks of using file systems to store data:
★ Data redundancy and inconsistency
✔ Multiple file formats, duplication of information in
different files
★ Difficulty in accessing data
✔ Need to write a new program to carry out each new
task
★ Data isolation — multiple files and formats
★ Integrity problems
✔ Integrity constraints (e.g. account balance > 0)
become part of program code
✔ Hard to add new constraints or change existing
ones
★ Atomicity of updates
✔ Failures may leave database in an inconsistent
state with partial updates carried out
✔ E.g. transfer of funds from one account to
another should either complete or not happen
at all
 ★ Concurrent access by multiple users
✔ Concurrent accessed needed for performance
✔ Uncontrolled concurrent accesses can lead to
inconsistencies – E.g. two people reading a
balance and updating it at the same time
★ Security problems
■ Database systems offer solutions to all the above
problems
• Docter, Q., Dulaney, E., & Skandier, T. (2016). CompTIA
+ Complete Study Guide (3rd Edition)
• Meyers, M. (2016). All In One CompTIA A+ Certification.
Mc Graw Hill.
• Pearson. (2016). Introduction to Computers and
Information Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
• Tavani, H. T. (2016). Ethics and Technology. Wiley.
• White, R. (2015). How Computer Work: The Evolution of
Technology. IN: Que.