Discovering
Computers 2010
Living in a Digital World
Databases, Data, and Information
Page 514 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 2
Chapter 10
Databases, Data, and Information
Pages 514 – 515 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 3
Figure 10-1 Chapter 10
Databases, Data, and Information
• Database software, often called a database
management system (DBMS), allows users to:
Page 515 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 4
Chapter 10
Databases, Data, and Information
• Data integrity identifies the quality of the data
• Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) points out the
accuracy of a computer’s output depends on the
accuracy of the input
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click Data Integrity
below Chapter 10
Page 516 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 5
Chapter 10
Databases, Data, and Information
• Valuable information should have the following
characteristics:
Pages 516 - 517 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 6
Chapter 10
The Hierarchy of Data
• Data is organized in layers
– Files, records, fields, characters
Page 517 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 7
Figure 10-2 Chapter 10
The Hierarchy of Data
• A character is one byte
– Numbers, letters, space,
punctuation marks, or
other symbols
• A field is a combination
of one or more related
characters
– Field name
– Field size
– Data type
Page 518 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 8
Figure 10-3 Chapter 10
The Hierarchy of Data
• Common data types include:
Page 518 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 9
Chapter 10
The Hierarchy of Data
• A record is a group of related fields
– A primary key uniquely identifies each record
• A data file is a collection of related records
Page 519 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 10
Figure 10-4 Chapter 10
Maintaining Data
• File maintenance refers to the procedures that
keep data current
Page 520 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 11
Chapter 10
Maintaining Data
• Users add new records to a file when they obtain
new data
Page 520 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 12
Figure 10-5 Chapter 10
Maintaining Data
• Users modify a record to correct inaccurate data
or update old data
Page 521 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 13
Figure 10-6 Chapter 10
Maintaining Data
• When a record no longer is needed, a user deletes
it from a file
Page 522 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 14
Figure 10-7 Chapter 10
Maintaining Data
• Validation compares data with a set of rules or
values to find out if the data is correct
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click Data Validation
below Chapter 10
Pages 522 - 524 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 15
Chapter 10
File Processing Versus Databases
Pages 524 - 526 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 16
Chapter 10
File Processing Versus Databases
Page 525 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 17
Figure 10-10 Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A data dictionary contains data about each file in
the database and each field in those files
Pages 527 – 528 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 18
Figure 10-12 Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A DBMS provides several tools that allow users
and programs to retrieve and maintain data in the
database
Page 528 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 19
Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A query language consists of simple, English-like
statements that allow users to specify the data to
display, print, or store
• Query by example (QBE) provides a GUI to assist
users with retrieving data
Page 528 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 20
Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A form is a window on the screen that provides
areas for entering or modifying data in a database
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click E-Form
below Chapter 10
Page 530 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 21
Figure 10-15 Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A report generator allows users to design a report
on the screen, retrieve data into the report
design, and then display or print the report
Page 531 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 22
Figure 10-16 Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
Page 531 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 23
Chapter 10
Database Management Systems
• A DMBS provides a variety of techniques to
restore the database to a usable form in case it is
damaged or destroyed
Pages 531 - 532 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 24
Chapter 10
Relational, Object-Oriented, and
Multidimensional Databases
• A relational database
stores data in tables
that consist of rows and
columns
– Each row has a primary
key
– Each column has a
unique name
• A relationship is a link
within the data
Page 533 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 25
Figure 10-20 Chapter 10
Relational, Object-Oriented, and
Multidimensional Databases
• Structured Query Language (SQL) is a query
language that allows users to manage, update,
and retrieve data
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click SQL
below Chapter 10
Page 534 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 26
Figure 10-21 Chapter 10
Web Databases
• Databases on the Web allow you to:
Page 536 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 27
Chapter 10
Database Administration
• It is important to have a carefully designed
database
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click Database Design
Guidelines below Chapter 10
Page 537 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 28
Figure 10-24 Chapter 10
Database Administration
Click to view Web Link,
click Chapter 10, Click Web
Link from left navigation,
then click Database
Administrators below
Chapter 10
Page 538 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 29
Chapter 10
Database Administration
• Employees should learn
how to use the data in
the database effectively
– Interact with database
– Identify new data for the
database
– Maintain the database
Page 538 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 30
Figure 10-25 Chapter 10
Discovering
Computers 2010
Living in a Digital World
Chapter 10 Complete
