F453 Key terms Flashcards
Flat file database
- A single table containing all information.
Relational database
- Linked tables, each representing an entity in the system
- Pieces of data are stored once and looked up via links from other tables
- DBMS manages tables and relationships between them
Data redundancy
- The same piece of data in a database is stored in more than one place
Data inconsistency
- Two versions of data in a database may be different.
Advantages of flat file databases
- Databases are simple to construct
Advantages of relational databases
- Reduced data duplication
- Reduced data redundancy
- Improved data consistency
- Improved data integrity/security
- Control over access to data
Disadvantages of relational databases
- Complex to set up
- Requires a good DBMS to control efficient views of data
Entity
- A thing about which data is stored
Relationship
- A link between two entities
Normalisation
- Resolves many to many relationships
- Ensures data is stored in one place
- Ensures data is stored in the most appropriate place
First Normal Form (1NF)
- No repeating attributes
Second Normal Form (2NF)
- No partial-key dependencies
- Non-key attributes are dependent on all of the primary key
Third Normal Form (3NF)
- No non-key dependencies
- No non-key attributes can be dependent on another non-key attribute
Primary key
- A unique identifier within a table
- Referred to as a composite key when comprised of multiple fields
Composite key
- Two or more attributes which act to uniquely identify an entity occurrence
Foreign key
- A primary key from one table used as an attribute in another
- Used to link the two tables
Where foreign keys are always found
- In the table with the ‘many’ side of the relationship
Secondary key
- An attribute that can be used to search or sort data
- They are indexed which allows for fast searching of data
Database Management System (DBMS)
- Software to handle the complexities of managing a database
- Could provide a UI
- May used SQL to communicate with other programs
- Provides different views of data
Tasks performed by the DBMS
- Manages access rights
- Adds new data
- Updates existing data
- Finds data
- Maintains indexes
- Enforces data integrity rule
Access rights
- Controls what data each user is allowed to view
- Controls what each user is able to do with data (view, update etc)
Data dictionary
- A file containing descriptions of data in a database
- Uses metadata to define tables
- Used by database managers when altering database structure
Data contained within the data dictionary
- Names of table
- Relationships between data
- Primary and foreign keys
- Field characteristics (data type, length etc)
- Which programs can access the data
Data Definition Language
- Used to create a database
- Used to create tables, the users, their access right, alter the table (eg defining a foreign key)
- Records the attributes, data types, validation used and relationships between entities, creates users, grant access rights