KCA UNIVERSITY

ICT NOTES FNDL 2

COMPUTER FILES AND DATABASES

COMPUTER FILES AND FILE STRUCTURES.

A computer file refers to a collection of related records stored in storage medium. The elements
which make up a file or form the file hierarchy are
Bit
This is the smallest element in computer file. The bit notation forms the basis of the computer
working and as such it is impossible for the human beings to appreciate its use and that is why for
the logical files, which are the view of the file user, the bits are not significant
Character
It comprises of a number of bits for example the ASCII code states that a character is made up of 8
bits.
Field
Refers to a collection of characters and may either be fixed or variable in nature. It is a space
allocated for a particular item of information. Characters combine up to form a field that forms the
attribute of a given entity. The field can be alphabetic, numeric or combination of these. The fields
can be described as fixed length fields if they have the same space preserved for their characters. If
the fields within the record are allocated different characters spaces they are referred to as variable
length fields.
Record.
A record is a value that contains other values, typically in fixed number and sequence and typically
indexed by names. The elements of records are usually called fields.

Lecturer: Mr. Mbom 1

COMPUTER FILE CHARACTERISTICS
Hit rate
This is term used to describe the rate of processing of master files in terms of active records. It is a
measure of activity of a file e.g. if in a day a thousand transactions against a master file of 10,000
thousands that are affected then the hit rate is said to be 10:10,000 = 10 or 1,000 x 100 = 10%
10,000
Volatility
This refers to the frequency with which records are added in the file or deleted from the file. If the
frequency is high the file is said to be volatile. A file that is not altered is static. If the frequency is
low the file is said be semi-static.
Size
This is the amount of data that is in the file. It may be expressed in terms of number of records.
Growth
Files often grow steadily in size as new records are added. Growth must be allowed for when
planning to store a file. The increase in the number of records that have been added or the
percentage increase of records in relation to the existing records.

Other File Characteristics

1. Identifier : This is the name that the file can be addressed by
2. Date of creation/modification: This reflects its age
3. Author or user. This is the person who created or who it was created for.
4. Organization: This is the mode in which data can be committed to or retrieved from the file.
5. Type: It can be a data file, program file, document file, master file, transaction file etc.

Types of computer files

Transaction files
Also referred to as movement or temporary files, they store the routine activities data over a short
period. The data in transaction files is used to update the master files, which contain the data about
the subjects of the organization (customers, employees, vendors, etc.). Transaction files also serve
as audit trails and history for the organization.
Master file
A collection of records pertaining to one of the main subjects of an information system, such as
customers, employees, products and vendors. Master files contain descriptive data, such as name
and address, as well as summary information, such as amount due and year-to-date sales.
Reference files
They are permanent or semi-permanent in nature and they are not frequently accessed by
information system users.
Sort files
These are files created from the master files and are used to reorganize the records based on a
defined criteria
Backup files

Lecturer: Mr. Mbom 2

Also referred to a security files, they are duplicates of master files which are used to recover the
master file in case of failure
Archive files
They contain historical data about an organization

FILE ORGANIZATION
File organization refers to how records are arranged in a file or the relationship between the key of
the record and the physical location of that record in the computer file. The objectives of computer
based file organization are ease of file creation and maintenance and efficient means of storing
and retrieving information.

File organization methods

The file organization methods include

Sequential method
In sequential organization records are physically stored in a specified order according to a key field
in each record.
▪ It is fast and efficient when dealing with large volumes of data that need to be processed
periodically (batch system).
▪ Requires that all new transactions be sorted into the proper sequence for sequential access
processing.
▪ Locating, storing, modifying, deleting, or adding records in the file requires rearranging the file.
▪ This method is too slow to handle applications requiring immediate updating or responses.

Random or direct method

▪ Direct file organization provides the fastest direct access to records. When using direct access
methods, records do not have to be arranged in any particular sequence on storage media.
▪ Computers must keep track of the storage location of each record using a variety of direct
organization methods so that data can be retrieved when needed.
▪ New transactions' data do not have to be sorted.
▪ Processing that requires immediate responses or updating is easily performed.

Indexed sequential method

In the indexed-sequential files method, records are physically stored in sequential order on a
magnetic disk or other direct access storage device based on the key field of each record. Each file
contains an index that references one or more key fields of each data record to its storage location
address.
Records are accessed either sequentially or selectively. Selective access uses the index

Problems with the Traditional File Environment

Lecturer: Mr. Mbom 3

1. Data redundancy and inconsistency
2. Program-data dependence
3. Poor data security
4. Lack of data sharing
5. Difficulty to access data

DATABASE SYSTEMS CONCEPTS

A database is an organized collection of interrelated data that serves a number of applications in
an enterprise. The database stores not only the values of the attributes of various entities but also
the relationships between these entities. A database is managed by a database management
system (DBMS), a systems software that provides assistance in managing databases shared by
many users. A database is an organized collection of data meant to facilitate data sharing, data
security, data accessibility and data integrity

Features of databases
Database features powerful business tools that make it easy to create and manage robust, feature-
filled databases that help everyone succeed. The features include
1. Fast accessibility to data
2. Data sharing
3. Program-Data independence
4. Data integrity
5. Data security

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (DBMS)

A database management system (DBMS) is a program with features that control the creation,
maintenance and use of a database. It allows organizations to conveniently develop databases for
various applications by database administrators (DBAs) and other specialists. A DBMS provides
facilities for controlling data access, enforcing data integrity, managing concurrency control, and
recovering the database after failures and restoring it from backup files, as well as maintaining
database security.

Functions of DBMS
1. Data Dictionary Management
2. Data Storage Management
3. Data Security Management
4. Multiuser Access Control
5. Backup and Recovery Management
6. Data Integrity Management.

Lecturer: Mr. Mbom 4