Essay about Review Questions Chapter 1 and 2

Words: 3545
Pages: 15

Chapter 1
Review Questions (1.1 - 1.7)

1.1 Define the following terms: data, database, DBMS, database system, database catalog, program-data independence, user view, DBA, end user, canned transaction, deductive database system, persistent object, meta-data, and transaction-processing application.
a) Data: Known facts that can be recorded and that have implicit meaning.
b) Database: Collection of related data.
c) DBMS: Is a collection of programs that enables users to maintain a database.
d) Database system: Is a compilation of the database and complete definition of the database structure and constrains.
e) Database catalog: contains information such as the structure of each file, the type and storage format of each data item,
…show more content…
In the database approach, a single repository maintains data that is defined once and then accessed by various users.

In file systems, each application is free to name data elements independently. In contrast, in a database, the names or labels of data are defined once, and used repeatedly by queries, transactions, and applications.

1.4 What are the responsibilities of the DBA and the database designers?
a) Database Administrators: The DBA is responsible for authorizing access to the database, coordinating and monitoring its use, and acquiring software and hardware resources as needed. The DBA is accountable for problems such as security breaches and poor system response time. In large organizations, the DBA is assisted by a staff that carries out these functions.
b) Database Designers: Database designers are responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the database and for choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data

1.5 What are the different types of database end users? Discuss the main activities of each.
a) Casual end users: Occasionally access the database, but they may need different information each time. They use a sophisticated database query language to specify their requests and are typically middle- or high-level managers or other occasional browsers.
b) Naive or parametric end users: Make up a sizable portion of database