University

College of Southeast Norway

Introduction to Database
Systems
Hans-Petter Halvorsen, 2016.11.01

http://home.hit.no/~hansha


Preface
This document explains the basic concepts of a database system and how to communicate
with a database system.

The main focus in this document is on relational databases and Microsoft SQL Server.

For more information about Databases, visit my Blog: http://home.hit.no/~hansha/

Some text in this document is based on text from www.wikipedia.org.

Table of Contents
Preface ...................................................................................................................................... 2

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... iii

1 Database Systems ............................................................................................................... 1

1.1 RDBMS Components .................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Data warehouse ........................................................................................................... 2

1.3 Relational Database ...................................................................................................... 2

1.4 Real-time databases ..................................................................................................... 2

1.5 NoSQL Databases .......................................................................................................... 3

1.6 Database Management Systems .................................................................................. 3

1.7 MDAC ............................................................................................................................ 4

1.7.1 ODBC ...................................................................................................................... 4

1.7.2 OLE DB ................................................................................................................... 4

1.7.3 ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) ................................................................................... 4

2 Relational Databases ........................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Tables ........................................................................................................................... 5

2.2 Unique Keys and Primary Key ....................................................................................... 6

2.3 Foreign Key ................................................................................................................... 7

2.4 Views ............................................................................................................................ 8

2.5 Functions ...................................................................................................................... 8

2.6 Stored Procedures ........................................................................................................ 9

2.7 Triggers ......................................................................................................................... 9

3 Structured Query Language (SQL) ..................................................................................... 10

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iv Table of Contents

3.1 Queries ....................................................................................................................... 10

3.2 Data Manipulation ...................................................................................................... 11

3.3 Data Definition ........................................................................................................... 12

3.4 Data Types .................................................................................................................. 13

3.4.1 Character Strings .................................................................................................. 13

3.4.2 Bit Strings ............................................................................................................. 13

3.4.3 Numbers .............................................................................................................. 13

3.4.4 Date and Time ...................................................................................................... 13

4 Database Modelling .......................................................................................................... 14

4.1 ER Diagram ................................................................................................................. 14

4.2 Microsoft Visio ............................................................................................................ 15

4.3 ERwin .......................................................................................................................... 17

5 Microsoft SQL Server ......................................................................................................... 19

5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 19

5.2 SQL Server Express ..................................................................................................... 19

5.3 SQL Server Management Studio ................................................................................. 20

5.4 Create a New Database .............................................................................................. 20

5.5 Backup/Restore .......................................................................................................... 22

6 Microsoft Office Access ..................................................................................................... 24

6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 24

6.2 Example Database ...................................................................................................... 24

7 Creating and Using Tables ................................................................................................. 27

8 Creating and Using Views .................................................................................................. 30

9 Creating and using Stored Procedures .............................................................................. 31

10 Creating and Using Triggers ............................................................................................ 33

11 Creating and Using Functions .......................................................................................... 35

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1 Database Systems
A database is an integrated collection of logically related records or files consolidated into a
common pool that provides data for one or more multiple uses.

One way of classifying databases involves the type of content, for example: bibliographic,
full-text, numeric, and image. Other classification methods start from examining database
models or database architectures.

The data in a database is organized according to a database model. The relational model is
the most common.

A Database Management System (DBMS) consists of software that organizes the storage of
data. A DBMS controls the creation, maintenance, and use of the database storage
structures of organizations and of their end users. It allows organizations to place control of
organization-wide database development in the hands of Database Administrators (DBAs)
and other specialists. In large systems, a DBMS allows users and other software to store and
retrieve data in a structured way.

Database management systems are usually categorized according to the database model
that they support, such as the network, relational or object model. The model tends to
determine the query languages that are available to access the database. One commonly
used query language for the relational database is SQL, although SQL syntax and function
can vary from one DBMS to another. A great deal of the internal engineering of a DBMS is
independent of the data model, and is concerned with managing factors such as
performance, concurrency, integrity, and recovery from hardware failures. In these areas
there are large differences between products.

1.1 RDBMS Components

A Relational Database Management System (DBMS) consists of the following components:

Interface drivers - A user or application program initiates either schema modification

or content modification. These drivers are built on top of SQL. They provide methods
to prepare statements, execute statements, fetch results, etc. An important example
is the ODBC driver.

2 Database Systems

SQL engine - This component interprets and executes the SQL query. It comprises
three major components (compiler, optimizer, and execution engine).
Transaction engine - Transactions are sequences of operations that read or write
database elements, which are grouped together.
Relational engine - Relational objects such as Table, Index, and Referential integrity
constraints are implemented in this component.
Storage engine - This component stores and retrieves data records. It also provides a
mechanism to store metadata and control information such as undo logs, redo logs,
lock tables, etc.

1.2 Data warehouse

A data warehouse stores data from current and previous years data extracted from the
various operational databases of an organization. It becomes the central source of data that
has been screened, edited, standardized and integrated so that it can be used by managers
and other end-user professionals throughout an organization.

1.3 Relational Database

A relational database matches data using common characteristics found within the data set.
The resulting groups of data are organized and are much easier for people to understand.

For example, a data set containing all the real-estate transactions in a town can be grouped
by the year the transaction occurred; or it can be grouped by the sale price of the
transaction; or it can be grouped by the buyer's last name; and so on.

Such a grouping uses the relational model (a technical term for this is schema). Hence, such
a database is called a "relational database."

The software used to do this grouping is called a relational database management system.
The term "relational database" often refers to this type of software.

Relational databases are currently the predominant choice in storing financial records,
manufacturing and logistical information, personnel data and much more.

Strictly, a relational database is a collection of relations (frequently called tables).

1.4 Real-time databases

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3 Database Systems

A real-time database is a processing system designed to handle workloads whose state may
change constantly. This differs from traditional databases containing persistent data, mostly
unaffected by time. For example, a stock market changes rapidly and dynamically. Real-time
processing means that a transaction is processed fast enough for the result to come back
and be acted on right away. Real-time databases are useful for accounting, banking, law,
medical records, multi-media, process control, reservation systems, and scientific data
analysis. As computers increase in power and can store more data, real-time databases
become integrated into society and are employed in many applications

1.5 NoSQL Databases

The next generation of database systems is known as NoSQL databases and document-
oriented databases. NoSQL databases are often very fast, do not require fixed table
schemas.

Examples of NoSQL systems: MongoDB and Oracle NoSQL Database.

1.6 Database Management Systems

There are Database Management Systems (DBMS), such as:

Microsoft SQL Server

Oracle
Sybase
dBase
Microsoft Access
MySQL from Sun Microsystems (Oracle)
DB2 from IBM
etc.

This document will focus on Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server.

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4 Database Systems

1.7 MDAC
The Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) is the framework that makes it possible to
connect and communicate with the database. MDAC includes the following components:

ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)

OLE DB
ADO (ActiveX Data Objects)

MDAC also installs several data providers you can use to open a connection to a specific data
source, such as an MS Access database.

1.7.1 ODBC
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a native interface that is accessed through a
programming language that can make calls into a native library. In MDAC this interface is
defined as a DLL. A separate module or driver is needed for each database that must be
accessed.

1.7.2 OLE DB
OLE allows MDAC applications access to different types of data stores in a uniform manner.
Microsoft has used this technology to separate the application from the data store that it
needs to access. This was done because different applications need access to different types
and sources of data, and do not necessarily need to know how to access technology-specific
functionality. The technology is conceptually divided into consumers and providers. The
consumers are the applications that need access to the data, and the provider is the
software component that exposes an OLE DB interface through the use of the Component
Object Model (or COM).

1.7.3 ADO (ActiveX Data Objects)

ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is a high level programming interface to OLE DB. It uses a
hierarchical object model to allow applications to programmatically create, retrieve, update
and delete data from sources supported by OLE DB. ADO consists of a series of hierarchical
COM-based objects and collections, an object that acts as a container of many other objects.
A programmer can directly access ADO objects to manipulate data, or can send an SQL query
to the database via several ADO mechanisms.

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2 Relational Databases
A relational database matches data using common characteristics found within the data set.
The resulting groups of data are organized and are much easier for people to understand.

For example, a data set containing all the real-estate transactions in a town can be grouped
by the year the transaction occurred; or it can be grouped by the sale price of the
transaction; or it can be grouped by the buyer's last name; and so on.

Such a grouping uses the relational model (a technical term for this is schema). Hence, such
a database is called a "relational database."

The software used to do this grouping is called a relational database management system.
The term "relational database" often refers to this type of software.

Relational databases are currently the predominant choice in storing financial records,
manufacturing and logistical information, personnel data and much more.

2.1 Tables
The basic units in a database are tables and the relationship between them. Strictly, a
relational database is a collection of relations (frequently called tables).

Below we see how a relationship between two tables are defined using Primary Keys and
Foreign Keys.

6 Relational Databases

2.2 Unique Keys and Primary Key

In relational database design, a unique key or primary key is a candidate key to uniquely
identify each row in a table. A unique key or primary key comprises a single column or set of
columns. No two distinct rows in a table can have the same value (or combination of values)
in those columns. Depending on its design, a table may have arbitrarily many unique keys
but at most one primary key.

A unique key must uniquely identify all possible rows that exist in a table and not only the
currently existing rows. Examples of unique keys are Social Security numbers or ISBNs.

A primary key is a special case of unique keys. The major difference is that for unique keys
the implicit NOT NULL constraint is not automatically enforced, while for primary keys it is
enforced. Thus, the values in unique key columns may or may not be NULL. Another
difference is that primary keys must be defined using another syntax.

Primary keys are defined with the following syntax:

CREATE TABLE table_name
(
id_col INT,
col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
...
CONSTRAINT tab_pk PRIMARY KEY(id_col),
...
)

If the primary key consists only of a single column, the column can be marked as such using
the following syntax:
CREATE TABLE table_name
(
id_col INT PRIMARY KEY,
col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
...
)

The definition of unique keys is syntactically very similar to primary keys.

Likewise, unique keys can be defined as part of the CREATE TABLE SQL statement.
CREATE TABLE table_name
(
id_col INT,
col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
key_col SMALLINT,
...
CONSTRAINT key_unique UNIQUE(key_col),
...
)

Or if the unique key consists only of a single column, the column can be marked as such
using the following syntax:
CREATE TABLE table_name
(

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7 Relational Databases

id_col INT PRIMARY KEY,

col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
...
key_col SMALLINT UNIQUE,
...
)

2.3 Foreign Key

In the context of relational databases, a foreign key is a referential constraint between two
tables. The foreign key identifies a column or a set of columns in one table that refers to a
column or set of columns in another table. The columns in the referencing table must be the
primary key or other candidate key in the referenced table. The values in one row of the
referencing columns must occur in a single row in the referenced table. Thus, a row in the
referencing table cannot contain values that don't exist in the referenced table. This way
references can be made to link information together and it is an essential part of database
normalization. Multiple rows in the referencing table may refer to the same row in the
referenced table. Most of the time, it reflects the one (master table, or referenced table) to
many (child table, or referencing table) relationship.

The referencing and referenced table may be the same table, i.e. the foreign key refers back
to the same table. Such a foreign key is known as self-referencing or recursive foreign key.

A table may have multiple foreign keys, and each foreign key can have a different referenced
table. Each foreign key is enforced independently by the database system. Therefore,
cascading relationships between tables can be established using foreign keys.

Improper foreign key/primary key relationships or not enforcing those relationships are
often the source of many database and data modeling problems.

Foreign keys can be defined as part of the CREATE TABLE SQL statement.
CREATE TABLE table_name
(
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
col3 INTEGER,
...
CONSTRAINT col3_fk FOREIGN KEY(col3)
REFERENCES other_table(key_col),
...
)

If the foreign key is a single column only, the column can be marked as such using the
following syntax:
CREATE TABLE table_name
(
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
col2 CHARACTER VARYING(20),
col3 INTEGER REFERENCES other_table(column_name),

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8 Relational Databases

...
)

2.4 Views
In database theory, a view consists of a stored query accessible as a virtual table composed
of the result set of a query. Unlike ordinary tables in a relational database, a view does not
form part of the physical schema: it is a dynamic, virtual table computed or collated from
data in the database. Changing the data in a table alters the data shown in subsequent
invocations of the view.

Views can provide advantages over tables:

Views can represent a subset of the data contained in a table

Views can join and simplify multiple tables into a single virtual table
Views can act as aggregated tables, where the database engine aggregates data
(sum, average etc) and presents the calculated results as part of the data
Views can hide the complexity of data; for example a view could appear as Sales2000
or Sales2001, transparently partitioning the actual underlying table
Views take very little space to store; the database contains only the definition of a
view, not a copy of all the data it presents
Views can limit the degree of exposure of a table or tables to the outer world

Syntax:
CREATE VIEW <ViewName>
AS

2.5 Functions
In SQL databases, a user-defined function provides a mechanism for extending the
functionality of the database server by adding a function that can be evaluated in SQL
statements. The SQL standard distinguishes between scalar and table functions. A scalar
function returns only a single value (or NULL), whereas a table function returns a (relational)
table comprising zero or more rows, each row with one or more columns.

User-defined functions in SQL are declared using the CREATE FUNCTION statement.

Syntax:
CREATE FUNCTION <FunctionName>
(@Parameter1 <datatype>,
@ Parameter2 <datatype>,
)

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9 Relational Databases

RETURNS <datatype>
AS

2.6 Stored Procedures

A stored procedure is executable code that is associated with, and generally stored in, the
database. Stored procedures usually collect and customize common operations, like
inserting a tuple into a relation, gathering statistical information about usage patterns, or
encapsulating complex business logic and calculations. Frequently they are used as an
application programming interface (API) for security or simplicity.

Stored procedures are not part of the relational database model, but all commercial
implementations include them.

Stored procedures are called or used with the following syntax:

CALL procedure()

or
EXECUTE procedure()

Stored procedures can return result sets, i.e. the results of a SELECT statement. Such result
sets can be processed using cursors by other stored procedures by associating a result set
locator, or by applications. Stored procedures may also contain declared variables for
processing data and cursors that allow it to loop through multiple rows in a table. The
standard Structured Query Language provides IF, WHILE, LOOP, REPEAT, CASE statements,
and more. Stored procedures can receive variables, return results or modify variables and
return them, depending on how and where the variable is declared.

2.7 Triggers
A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain
events on a particular table or view in a database. The trigger is mostly used for keeping the
integrity of the information on the database. For example, when a new record (representing
a new worker) added to the employees table, new records should be created also in the
tables of the taxes, vacations, and salaries.

The syntax is as follows:

CREATE TRIGGER <TriggerName> ON <TableName>
FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
AS

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3 Structured Query Language

(SQL)
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a database computer language designed for managing
data in relational database management systems (RDBMS).

This document gives only a very brief overview of SQL, for more in-depth overview of SQL.
Please refer to the tutorial Structured Query Language located on my web site:

http://home.hit.no/~hansha/?tutorial=sql

3.1 Queries
The most common operation in SQL is the query, which is performed with the declarative
SELECT statement. SELECT retrieves data from one or more tables, or expressions. Standard
SELECT statements have no persistent effects on the database.

Queries allow the user to describe desired data, leaving the database management system
(DBMS) responsible for planning, optimizing, and performing the physical operations
necessary to produce that result as it chooses.

A query includes a list of columns to be included in the final result immediately following the
SELECT keyword. An asterisk ("*") can also be used to specify that the query should return all
columns of the queried tables. SELECT is the most complex statement in SQL, with optional
keywords and clauses that include:

The FROM clause which indicates the table(s) from which data is to be retrieved. The
FROM clause can include optional JOIN subclauses to specify the rules for joining
tables.
The WHERE clause includes a comparison predicate, which restricts the rows
returned by the query. The WHERE clause eliminates all rows from the result set for
which the comparison predicate does not evaluate to True.
The GROUP BY clause is used to project rows having common values into a smaller
set of rows. GROUP BY is often used in conjunction with SQL aggregation functions or

10

11 Structured Query Language (SQL)

to eliminate duplicate rows from a result set. The WHERE clause is applied before the
GROUP BY clause.
The HAVING clause includes a predicate used to filter rows resulting from the GROUP
BY clause. Because it acts on the results of the GROUP BY clause, aggregation
functions can be used in the HAVING clause predicate.
The ORDER BY clause identifies which columns are used to sort the resulting data,
and in which direction they should be sorted (options are ascending or descending).
Without an ORDER BY clause, the order of rows returned by an SQL query is
undefined.

Example:

The following is an example of a SELECT query that returns a list of expensive books. The
query retrieves all rows from the Book table in which the price column contains a value
greater than 100.00. The result is sorted in ascending order by title. The asterisk (*) in the
select list indicates that all columns of the Book table should be included in the result set.
SELECT *
FROM Book
WHERE price > 100.00
ORDER BY title;

The example below demonstrates a query of multiple tables, grouping, and aggregation, by
returning a list of books and the number of authors associated with each book.
SELECT Book.title,count(*) AS Authors
FROM Book
JOIN Book_author ON Book.isbn = Book_author.isbn
GROUP BY Book.title

[End of Example]

3.2 Data Manipulation

The Data Manipulation Language (DML) is the subset of SQL used to add, update and delete
data.

The acronym CRUD refers to all of the major functions that need to be implemented in a
relational database application to consider it complete. Each letter in the acronym can be
mapped to a standard SQL statement:

Operation SQL

Create INSERT

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12 Structured Query Language (SQL)

Read (Retrieve) SELECT

Update UPDATE

Delete (Destroy) DELETE

Example:

INSERT:

INSERT adds rows to an existing table, e.g.,:

INSERT INTO My_table field1, field2, field3)
VALUES ('test', 'N', NULL)

UPDATE:

UPDATE modifies a set of existing table rows, e.g.,:

UPDATE My_table
SET field1 = 'updated value'
WHERE field2 = 'N'

DELETE:

DELETE removes existing rows from a table, e.g.,:

DELETE FROM My_table
WHERE field2 = 'N'

[End of Example]

3.3 Data Definition

The Data Definition Language (DDL) manages table and index structure. The most basic
items of DDL are the CREATE, ALTER, RENAME and DROP statements:

CREATE creates an object (a table, for example) in the database.

DROP deletes an object in the database, usually irretrievably.
ALTER modifies the structure an existing object in various waysfor example, adding
a column to an existing table.

Example:

CREATE:

Create a Database Table:

CREATE TABLE My_table
(
my_field1 INT,

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13 Structured Query Language (SQL)
my_field2 VARCHAR(50),
my_field3 DATE NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (my_field1)
)

[End of Example]

3.4 Data Types

Each column in an SQL table declares the type(s) that column may contain. ANSI SQL
includes the following data types.

3.4.1 Character Strings

CHARACTER(n) or CHAR(n) fixed-width n-character string, padded with spaces as
needed
CHARACTER VARYING(n) or VARCHAR(n) variable-width string with a maximum
size of n characters
NATIONAL CHARACTER(n) or NCHAR(n) fixed width string supporting an
international character set
NATIONAL CHARACTER VARYING(n) or NVARCHAR(n) variable-width NCHAR string

3.4.2 Bit Strings

BIT(n) an array of n bits
BIT VARYING(n) an array of up to n bits

3.4.3 Numbers
INTEGER and SMALLINT
FLOAT, REAL and DOUBLE PRECISION
NUMERIC(precision, scale) or DECIMAL(precision, scale)

3.4.4 Date and Time

DATE
TIME
TIMESTAMP
INTERVAL

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4 Database Modelling
4.1 ER Diagram
In software engineering, an Entity-Relationship Model (ERM) is an abstract and conceptual
representation of data. Entity-relationship modeling is a database modeling method, used to
produce a type of conceptual schema or semantic data model of a system, often a relational
database, and its requirements in a top-down fashion.

Diagrams created using this process are called entity-relationship diagrams, or ER diagrams
or ERDs for short.

There are many ER diagramming tools. Some of the proprietary ER diagramming tools are
ERwin, Enterprise Architect and Microsoft Visio.

Microsoft SQL Server has also a built-in tool for creating Database Diagrams.

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15 Database Modelling

4.2 Microsoft Visio

Microsoft Visio is a diagramming program for creating different kinds of diagrams. Visio have
a template for creating Database Model Diagrams.

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16 Database Modelling

In the Database menu Visio offers lots of functionality regarding your database model.

Reverse Engineering is the opposite procedure, i.e., extraction of a database schema from
an existing database into a database model in Microsoft Visio.

Example: Database Diagram

Create the following tables in an ER Diagram using MS Visio.

CUSTOMER
o CustomerId (PK)
o FirstName
o LastName
o Address
o Phone
o PostCode
o PostAddress
PRODUCT
o ProductId (PK)
o ProductName
o ProductDescription
o Price
o ProductCode
ORDER
o OrderId (PK)
o OrderNumber
o OrderDescription

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17 Database Modelling

o CustomerId (FK)
ORDER_DETAIL
o OrderDetailId (PK)
o OrderId (FK)
o ProductId (FK)

The Database Diagram becomes:

[End of Example]

4.3 ERwin
ERwin is a professional database modelling tool. A Community edition is also available for
free. The Community edition is limited to work with max 25 objects.

Below we see an example created in Erwin.

With Erwin and other professional database modelling tools you can directly import the
database model into the database system such as SQL Server, MySQL, etc.

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5 Microsoft SQL Server

5.1 Introduction
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational model database server produced by Microsoft. Its
primary query languages are T-SQL and ANSI SQL.

The latest version is Microsoft SQL Server 2014.

Microsoft SQL Server homepage: www.microsoft.com/sqlserver

The Microsoft SQL Server comes in different versions, such as:

SQL Server Developer Edition

SQL Server Enterprise Edition
SQL Server Web Edition
SQL Server Express Edition
Etc.

The SQL Server Express Edition is a freely-downloadable and -distributable version.

5.2 SQL Server Express

The SQL Server Express Edition is a freely-downloadable and -distributable version.

However, the Express edition has a number of technical restrictions which make it
undesirable for large-scale deployments, including:

Maximum database size of 4 GB per. The 4 GB limit applies per database (log files
excluded); but in some scenarios users can access more data through the use of
multiple interconnected databases.
Single physical CPU, multiple cores
1 GB of RAM (runs on any size RAM system, but uses only 1 GB)

SQL Server Express offers a GUI tools for database management in a separate download and
installation package, called SQL Server Management Studio Express.

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20 Microsoft SQL Server

5.3 SQL Server Management Studio

SQL Server Management Studio is a GUI tool included with SQL Server for configuring,
managing, and administering all components within Microsoft SQL Server. The tool includes
both script editors and graphical tools that work with objects and features of the server. As
mentioned earlier, version of SQL Server Management Studio is also available for SQL Server
Express Edition, for which it is known as SQL Server Management Studio Express.

A central feature of SQL Server Management Studio is the Object Explorer, which allows the
user to browse, select, and act upon any of the objects within the server. It can be used to
visually observe and analyze query plans and optimize the database performance, among
others. SQL Server Management Studio can also be used to create a new database, alter any
existing database schema by adding or modifying tables and indexes, or analyze
performance. It includes the query windows which provide a GUI based interface to write
and execute queries.

5.4 Create a New Database

It is quite simple to create a new database in Microsoft SQL Server. Just right-click on the
Databases node and select New Database

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21 Microsoft SQL Server

There are lots of settings you may set regarding your database, but the only information you
must fill in is the name of your database:

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22 Microsoft SQL Server

5.5 Backup/Restore
Database Backup and Restore:

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23 Microsoft SQL Server

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6 Microsoft Office Access

6.1 Introduction
Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database
management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database
Engine with a graphical user interface and software development tools. It is a member of the
Microsoft Office suite of applications and is included in the Professional and higher versions
for Windows. Access stores data in its own format based on the Access Jet Database Engine.

Microsoft Access is used by programmers and non-programmers to create their own simple
database solutions.

Microsoft Access is a file server-based database. Unlike client-server relational database

management systems (RDBMS), e.g., Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access does not
implement database triggers, stored procedures, or transaction logging. All database tables,
queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules are stored in the Access Jet database as a
single file. This makes Microsoft Access useful in small applications, teaching, etc. because it
is easy to move from one computer to another.

6.2 Example Database

I will present an example database in Microsoft Access 2007 which will be used in some of
the examples and exercises in this document.

The database consists of the following tables:

CUSTOMER
o CustomerId (PK)
o FirstName
o LastName
o Address
o Phone
o PostCode
o PostAddress
PRODUCT

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25 Microsoft Office Access

o ProductId (PK)
o ProductName
o ProductDescription
o Price
o ProductCode
ORDER
o OrderId (PK)
o OrderNumber
o OrderDescription
o CustomerId (FK)
ORDER_DETAIL
o OrderDetailId (PK)
o OrderId (FK)
o ProductId (FK)

ODBC Connection:

Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC)

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26 Microsoft Office Access

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7 Creating and Using Tables

The SQL syntax for creating a Table is as follows:
CREATE TABLE <TableName>
(
<ColumnName> <datatype>

The SQL syntax for inserting Data into a Table is as follows:

INSERT INTO <TableName> (<Column1>, <Column2>, )
VALUES(<Data for Column1>, <Data for Column2>, )

Example: Insert Data into Tables

We will insert some data into our tables:

The following SQL Query inserts some example data into these tables:
--CUSTOMER
INSERT INTO [CUSTOMER] ([FirstName],[LastName],[Address],[Phone],[PostCode],[PostAddress])
VALUES ('Per', 'Nilsen', 'Vipeveien 12', '12345678', '1234', 'Porsgrunn')
GO

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28 Creating and Using Tables

INSERT INTO [CUSTOMER] ([FirstName],[LastName],[Address],[Phone],[PostCode],[PostAddress])

VALUES ('Tor', 'Hansen', 'Vipeveien 15', '77775678', '4455', 'Bergen')
GO
INSERT INTO [CUSTOMER] ([FirstName],[LastName],[Address],[Phone],[PostCode],[PostAddress])
VALUES ('Arne', 'Nilsen', 'Vipeveien 17', '12345778', '4434', 'Porsgrunn')
GO

--PRODUCT
INSERT INTO [PRODUCT] ([ProductName],[ProductDescription],[Price],[ProductCode]) VALUES
('Product A', 'This is product A', 1000, 'A-1234')
GO
INSERT INTO [PRODUCT] ([ProductName],[ProductDescription],[Price],[ProductCode]) VALUES
('Product B', 'This is product B', 1000, 'B-1234')
GO
INSERT INTO [PRODUCT] ([ProductName],[ProductDescription],[Price],[ProductCode]) VALUES
('Product C', 'This is product C', 1000, 'C-1234')
GO

--ORDER
INSERT INTO [ORDER] ([OrderNumber],[OrderDescription],[CustomerId]) VALUES ('10001', 'This is
Order 10001', 1)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER] ([OrderNumber],[OrderDescription],[CustomerId]) VALUES ('10002', 'This is
Order 10002', 2)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER] ([OrderNumber],[OrderDescription],[CustomerId]) VALUES ('10003', 'This is
Order 10003', 3)
GO

--ORDER_DETAIL
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (1, 1)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (1, 2)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (1, 3)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (2, 1)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (2, 2)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (3, 3)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (3, 1)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (3, 2)
GO
INSERT INTO [ORDER_DETAIL] ([OrderId],[ProductId]) VALUES (3, 3)
GO

Executing the following Queries then gives:

select * from CUSTOMER

select * from PRODUCT

Tutorial: Introduction to Database Systems

29 Creating and Using Tables

select * from [ORDER]

select * from ORDER_DETAIL

[End of Example]

Tutorial: Introduction to Database Systems



8 Creating and Using Views

In database theory, a view consists of a stored query accessible as a virtual table composed
of the result set of a query. Unlike ordinary tables in a relational database, a view does not
form part of the physical schema: it is a dynamic, virtual table computed or collated from
data in the database. Changing the data in a table alters the data shown in subsequent
invocations of the view.

Views can provide advantages over tables:

Views can represent a subset of the data contained in a table

Views can join and simplify multiple tables into a single virtual table
Views can act as aggregated tables, where the database engine aggregates data
(sum, average etc) and presents the calculated results as part of the data
Views can hide the complexity of data; for example a view could appear as Sales2000
or Sales2001, transparently partitioning the actual underlying table
Views take very little space to store; the database contains only the definition of a
view, not a copy of all the data it presents
Depending on the SQL engine used, views can provide extra security
Views can limit the degree of exposure of a table or tables to the outer world

Just as functions (in programming) can provide abstraction, so database users can create
abstraction by using views. In another parallel with functions, database users can manipulate
nested views, thus one view can aggregate data from other views.

Syntax:
CREATE VIEW <ViewName>
AS

30

9 Creating and using Stored

Procedures
A stored procedure is a subroutine available to applications accessing a relational database
system. Typical uses for stored procedures include data validation (integrated into the
database) or access control mechanisms. Furthermore, stored procedures are used to
consolidate and centralize logic that was originally implemented in applications. Large or
complex processing that might require the execution of several SQL statements is moved
into stored procedures, and all applications call the procedures only.

A stored procedure is a precompiled collection of SQL statements and optional control-of-

flow statements, similar to a macro. Each database and data provider supports stored
procedures differently. Stored procedures offer the following benefits to your database
applications:

PerformanceStored Procedures are usually more efficient and faster than regular SQL
queries because SQL statements are parsed for syntactical accuracy and precompiled by the
DBMS when the stored procedure is created. Also, combining a large number of SQL
statements with conditional logic and parameters into a stored procedure allows the
procedures to perform queries, make decisions, and return results without extra trips to the
database server.

MaintainabilityStored Procedures isolate the lower-level database structure from the

application. As long as the table names, column names, parameter names, and types do not
change from what is stated in the stored procedure, you do not need to modify the
procedure when changes are made to the database schema. Stored procedures are also a
way to support modular SQL programming because after you create a procedure, you and
other users can reuse that procedure without knowing the details of the tables involved.

SecurityWhen creating tables in a database, the Database Administrator can set EXECUTE
permissions on stored procedures without granting SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
permissions to users. Therefore, the data in these tables is protected from users who are not
using the stored procedures.

31

32 Creating and using Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are similar to user-defined functions. The major difference is that
functions can be used like any other expression within SQL statements, whereas stored
procedures must be invoked using the CALL statement.

The syntax for creating a Stored Procedure is as follows:

CREATE PROCEDURE <ProcedureName>
@<Parameter1> <datatype>

Example:

Create a Stored Procedure:

This Procedure gets Customer Data based on a specific Order Number.

IF EXISTS (SELECT name
FROM sysobjects
WHERE name = 'sp_CustomerOrders'
AND type = 'P')
DROP PROCEDURE sp_CustomerOrders
GO

CREATE PROCEDURE sp_CustomerOrders

@OrderNumber varchar(50)

AS

/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Updated Date: 2009.11.03
Last Updated By: [email protected]
Description: Get Customer Information from a specific Order Number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
SET NOCOUNT ON

declare @CustomerId int

select @CustomerId = CustomerId from [ORDER] where OrderNumber = @OrderNumber

select CustomerId, FirstName, LastName, [Address], Phone from CUSTOMER where

CustomerId=@CustomerId

SET NOCOUNT OFF

Og

Using a Stored Procedure:

Using the Stored procedure like this

exec sp_CustomerOrders '10002'

This gives the following result:

[End of Example]

Tutorial: Introduction to Database Systems



10 Creating and Using

Triggers
A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain
events on a particular table or view in a database. The trigger is mostly used for keeping the
integrity of the information on the database. For example, when a new record (representing
a new worker) added to the employees table, new records should be created also in the
tables of the taxes, vacations, and salaries.

Triggers are commonly used to:

prevent changes (e.g. prevent an invoice from being changed after it's been mailed
out)
log changes (e.g. keep a copy of the old data)
audit changes (e.g. keep a log of the users and roles involved in changes)
enhance changes (e.g. ensure that every change to a record is time-stamped by the
server's clock, not the client's)
enforce business rules (e.g. require that every invoice have at least one line item)
execute business rules (e.g. notify a manager every time an employee's bank account
number changes)
replicate data (e.g. store a record of every change, to be shipped to another database
later)
enhance performance (e.g. update the account balance after every detail transaction,
for faster queries)

The major features of database triggers, and their effects, are:

do not accept parameters or arguments (but may store affected-data in temporary

tables)
cannot perform commit or rollback operations because they are part of the triggering
SQL statement
can cancel a requested operation
can cause mutating table errors, if they are poorly written.

33

34 Creating and using Stored Procedures

Microsoft SQL Server supports triggers either after or instead of an insert, update, or delete
operation.

Syntax:
CREATE TRIGGER <TriggerName> ON <TableName>
FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
AS

Tutorial: Introduction to Database Systems



11 Creating and Using

Functions
In SQL databases, a user-defined function provides a mechanism for extending the
functionality of the database server by adding a function that can be evaluated in SQL
statements. The SQL standard distinguishes between scalar and table functions. A scalar
function returns only a single value (or NULL), whereas a table function returns a (relational)
table comprising zero or more rows, each row with one or more columns.

Stored Procedures vs. Functions:

Only functions can return a value (using the RETURN keyword).

Stored procedures can use RETURN keyword but without any value being passed[1]
Functions could be used in SELECT statements, provided they dont do any data
manipulation and also should not have any OUT or IN OUT parameters.
Functions must return a value, but for stored procedures this is not compulsory.
A function can have only IN parameters, while stored procedures may have OUT or IN
OUT parameters.
A function is a subprogram written to perform certain computations and return a
single value.
A stored procedure is a subprogram written to perform a set of actions, and can
return multiple values using the OUT parameter or return no value at all.

User-defined functions in SQL are declared using the CREATE FUNCTION statement.

Syntax:
CREATE FUNCTION <FunctionName>
(@Parameter1 <datatype>,
@ Parameter2 <datatype>,
)

RETURNS <datatype>
AS

35

Hans-Petter Halvorsen, M.Sc.

E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: http://home.hit.no/~hansha/

University College of Southeast Norway

www.usn.no