CH 1 Databases and Database Users Flashcards
Define Data
By data, we mean known facts that can
be recorded and that have implicit meaning. For ex
Define Database
- A database is a collection of related data.
- A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called the miniworld
- A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent meaning. A random assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to as a database.
- A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific purpose.
Define DBMS
A database management system (DBMS) is a computerized system that enables users to create and maintain a database. The DBMS is a general-purpose software system that facilitates the processes of defining, constructing, manipulating, and sharing databases among various users and applications
Main characteristics of database approach
- Self-describing nature of a database system
- Insulation between programs and data, and data abstraction
- Support of multiple views of the data
- Sharing of data and multiuser transaction processing
1.4. What are the responsibilities of the DBA and the database designers?
Database designers are responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the data- base and for choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data. These tasks are mostly undertaken before the database is actually implemented and popu- lated with data. It is the responsibility of database designers to communicate with all prospective database users in order to understand their requirements and to cre- ate a design that meets these requirements. In many
1.5. What are the different types of database end users? Discuss the main activi-
- Casual end users occasionally access the database, but they may need differ- ent information each time. They use a sophisticated database query interfac
- Naive or parametric end users make up a sizable portion of database end users. Many of these tasks are now available as mobile apps
- Sophisticated end users include engineers, scientists, business analysts, and others who thoroughly familiarize themselves with the facilities of the DBMS
user view,
. A view may be a subset of the database or it may contain virtual data that is derived from the database files but is not explicitly stored