DATABASE
Reading comprehension
Definition
A database is a large quantity of indexed digital information. It can be searched,
referenced, compared, changed or otherwise manipulated with optimal speed and
minimal processing expense.
A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored and accessed electronically
from a computer system. When databases are more complex, they are often developed
using formal design and modeling techniques.
The database management system (DBMS) is the software that interacts with end users,
applications, and the database itself to capture and analyze the data. The DBMS software
additionally encompasses the core facilities provided to administer the database. The sum
total of the database, the DBMS and the associated applications can be referred to as a
"database system".
Database components
A database is made up of several main components:
Schema - A database contains one or more schemas, which is basically a collection of
one or more tables of data.
Table - Each table contains multiple columns, which are similar to columns in a
spreadsheet. A table can have as little as two columns and as many as 4096, depending on
the type of stored data.
Column - Each column contains one of several types of data or values, like dates,
numeric or integer values, and alphanumeric values (also known as varchar).
Row - Data in a table is listed in rows, which are like rows of data in a spreadsheet. Often
there are hundreds or thousands of rows of data in a table.
Exercises
1. Symbol for formulae: explain what each of the spreadsheet formulae means
Symbo Meaning Formula Explain
l
= equals, is equal to = A2*B2 Equals cell A2 multiplied by/times cell B2
+ plus = C8+F2 Equals cell C8 added cell F2
- minus = D4-B4 Equals cell D4 subtracted cell B4
* multiplied by, = A10*B3 Equals cell A10 added itself B3 times
times
/ divided by = K12/J12 Equals cell K12 separated itself into cell J12
equal parts
: to =SUM(B9:B12) Equals value of every cell from B9 to B12
add
sequential
% percent = E3*15% If cell E3 separated itself into 100 equal parts and
that value equals 15 parts
2. Wildcard characters:
Example: Sm?th – Smith, Smit, Smyth
Explain: If you search for Sm?th, you will find Smith and Smyth, but you won’t find Smit
Wildcard How to read Meaning Example Explain
characters
question Any single Br?wn – Brown, If you search for Sm?th, you
mark character in this Brawn, Braun will find Brown,but you won’t
?
position find Brawn and Braun
asterisk Any number of t*e – tongue, the, tea, If you find a serial number of
characters in this true your win10 version,it cans be
* position *1234, * symbolizes to “here
your serial number: “,or “A”
hashtag A single number in #th – 12th, 4th, earth If you want to check you SMS
this position value, you will type *101#, #
# symbolizes to your province
number.
square Find these Paul[ao] – Paul,
[] brackets characters Paula, Paulo In excel, b[ae]ll means ball or
bell,not bill
empty Don’t find these Mari[!a] – Marie, You will find keywords [a] in
[!] characters Maria, Mary Maria but can't be found in
Memory
3. Symbols for logic selection rules
Symbol Meaning Symbol Meaning
= equals, equal to < less than
> greater than =< equals or less than
=> equals or greater than .AND. and
<> not equal to .OR. or
.NOT. not
*Write selection rules to obtain these results. Use the symbols above and the database table
below.
Results Selection rules
1. Lillias Brown, Alan Brew, John Walls Select First name,Surname from databasetable
where Occupation= ‘student’
2. John Pond Select First name,Surname from databasetable
where Occupation= ‘computing officer’
3. John Walls Select First name,Surname from databasetable
where Age= 26
4. Lillias Brown, Helen Trim Select First name,Surname from databasetable
where Sex=F AND Age=<23
5. Arnold Bright Select First name,Surname from databasetable
where Age=31 AND Occupation= technician
-you will get the first name and surname from the data table with a valid attribute of ......., the result
will be.....
Ex: Result: Helen Trim
Selection rule: Occupation = [Link]=F
Database table
First name Surname Sex Age Occupation
Lillias Brown F 21 student
Lucy Cruden F 28 actress
Alan Brew M 24 student
Helen Trim F 23 technician
John Walls M 26 student
John Pond M 31 computing officer
Arnold Bright M 31 technician
4. Complete these If sentences:
* Match 1-5 with a-e:
1. If there is power failure, a. you may lose some of them.
2. If you have a virus, b. you may forget what they contain.
3. If you don’t back up your files regularly, c. you may lose all your data.
4. If you choose a simple password, d. it may corrupt your files.
5. If you don’t give your files meaningful names, e. someone may access your files.
1-a;2-d;3-b;4-e;5-c
