DBMS

True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

__F__ 1. Data and information are essentially the same thing.

__T__ 2. Data processing can be as simple as organizing data to reveal patterns.

__T__ 3. We are now said to be entering the “knowledge age.”

__F__ 4. Information implies familiarity, awareness, and understanding knowledge as it applies to an environment.

__T__ 5. Data constitute the building blocks of information.

__T__ 6. Metadata present a more complete picture of the data in the database.

__T__ 7. The only way to access the data in a database is through the DBMS.

__T/F__ 8. The application programs receive all application requests and translate them into the complex operations
required to fulfill those requests.

__F__ 9. The DBMS reveals much of the database’s internal complexity to the application programs and users.

__F__ 10. One disadvantage of the DBMS is that it increases the risk of data security breaches.

__F__ 11. An operational database is sometimes referred to as an enterprise database.

__T__ 12. A data warehouse can store data derived from many sources.

__T__ 13. The same data might be simultaneously structured and unstructured depending on the intended processing.

__F__ 14. Corporations use only structured data.

__T__ 15. A file system was traditionally composed of a collection of file folders, each properly tagged and kept in a
filing cabinet.

__T__ 16. Initially the files within a computer file system were similar to manual files.

__F__ 17. Structural dependence exists when it is possible to make changes in the file structure without affecting the
application program’s ability to access the data.

__F__ 18. A query language is a procedural language.

__T__ 19. One disadvantage of a database system over previous data management approaches is increased costs.
__F__ 20. One advantage of a database system over previous data management approaches is that the database system
is considerably less complex.

__T__ 21. A data model is usually graphical.

__T__ 22. The terms data model and database model are often used interchangeably.

__T__ 23. An implementation-ready data model should contain a description of the data structure that will store the
end-user data.

__T__ 24. Within the database environment, a data model represents data structures with the purpose of supporting a
specific problem domain.

__F__ 25. Data modeling starts with a very complex representation, and as knowledge of the problem is gained, the
model is simplified.

__F__ 26. A manager and a programmer usually have the same view of the same data.

__F__ 27. Database designers determine the data and information that yield the required understanding of the entire
business.

__F__ 28. Business rules apply to businesses and government groups, but not to other types of organizations such as
religious groups or research laboratories.

__T__ 29. Business rules must be rendered in writing.

__F__ 30. In an SQL-based relational database, each table is dependent on another.

__T__ 31. In an SQL-based relational database, rows in different tables are related based on common values in
common attributes.

__T__ 32. Each row in the relational table is known as an entity instance or entity occurrence in the ER model.

__F__ 33. In Chen notation, entities and relationships must be oriented horizontally.

__T__ 34. M:N relationships are not appropriate in a relational model.

____ 35. The focus on effective Internet interfacing makes the underlying data model more important to the end user.

__F__ 36. Use of the relational model has declined because of the difficulty in incorporating components from other
data models.

__T__ 37. The network model has structural level dependency.

__T__ 38. The entity relationship model is limited to conceptual modeling, with no implementation component.

__F__ 39. The hierarchical model is software-independent.

__F__ 40. The relational model is hardware-dependent and software-independent.

__T__ 41. The practical significance of taking the logical view of a database is that it serves as a reminder of the
simple file concept of data storage.

__T__ 42. You can think of a table as a persistent representation of a logical relation.

__F__ 43. Because the relational model uses attribute values to establish relationships among tables, many database
users correctly assume that the term relation refers to such relationships.

__F__ 44. The order of the rows and columns is important to the DBMS.

__T__ 45. Numeric data are data on which you can perform meaningful arithmetic procedures.

__F__ 46. Character data can contain any character or symbol intended for mathematical manipulation.

__T__ 47. Each table in a relational database must have a primary key.

__T__ 48. A proper understanding of the concept and use of keys in a relational database model is very important.

__F__ 49. If A determines B, C, and D, you write A = B, C, D.

__F__ 50. Only a single attribute, not multiple attributes, defines functional dependence.

__T__ 51. If the attribute (B) is functionally dependent on a composite key (A) but not on any subset of that
composite key, the attribute (B) is fully functionally dependent on (A).

__T__ 52. A null is created when you press the Enter key or the Tab key to move to the next entry without making a
prior entry of any kind.

__F__ 53. There is never a good reason to use null values in a database.

__T__ 54. Depending on the sophistication of the application development software, nulls can create problems when
functions such as COUNT, AVERAGE, and SUM are used.

__T__ 55. Tables within a database share common attributes that enable the tables to be linked together.

__F__ 56. A foreign key must exist in both tables that have a relationship.

__T__ 57. All RDBMSs enforce integrity rules automatically.

__F__ 58. Referential and entity integrity are two names for the same thing.

__T__ 59. Tables must have the same attribute characteristics (the columns and domains must be identical) to be used
in a UNION.

__T__ 60. The DIFFERENCE operator subtracts one table from the other.
__F__ 61. The SELECT operator yields a vertical subset of a table.

__F__ 62. In a natural join, the column on which the join was made occurs twice in the new table.

__T__ 63. A left outer join on tables CUSTOMER and AGENT yields all of the rows in the CUSTOMER table,
including those that do not have a matching value in the AGENT table

__T__ 64. The DIVIDE operation uses one single-column table (i.e. column “a”) as the divisor and one two-column
table (i.e. columns “a” and “b”) as the dividend.

__T__ 65. A data dictionary contains metadata—data about data.

__T__ 66. A data dictionary is sometimes described as “the database designer’s database” because it records the
design decisions about tables and their structures.

__T__ 67. Current relational database software generally provides only a system catalog (and not a data dictionary).

__F__ 68. The one-to-many (1:M) relationship is easily implemented in the relational model by putting the foreign
key of the “1” side in the table of the “many” side as a primary key.

__T__ 69. As rare as 1:1 relationships should be, certain conditions absolutely require their use.

__T__ 70. DBMSs use indexes for many different purposes.

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 71. ____ is the body of information and facts about a specific subject.
a. Data c. Knowledge
b. Information d. A database

____ 72. Accurate, relevant, and timely information is the key to ____.
a. data management c. knowledge
b. good decision making d. understanding

____ 73. ____ is used to reveal the meaning of data.

a. Raw facts c. Formatting
b. Knowledge d. Information

____ 74. End-user data is ____.

a. raw facts about the end-user
b. raw facts of interest to the end-user
c. data about data
d. accurate, relevant and timely information

____ 75. ____ provide(s) a description of the data characteristics and the set of relationships that link the data found
within the database.
a. Queries c. Metadata
 b. End-user data d. Information

____ 76. The ____ serve(s) as the intermediary between the user and the database.
a. DBMS c. end-user data
b. metadata d. programming language

____ 77. The database structure is stored as a ____.

a. file c. set of key/value pairs
b. collection of files d. collection of queries

____ 78. A(n) ____ might be written by a programmer or it might be created through a DBMS utility program.
a. query c. database management system
b. operating system d. application program

____ 79. ____ exists when different versions of the same data appear in different places.
a. Data inconsistency c. Better data integration
b. Data consistency d. Improved decision making

____ 80. The response of the DBMS to a query is the ____.

a. ad hoc query c. query result set
b. ad hoc response d. integrated view of the data

____ 81. A(n) ____ database is designed to support a company’s day-to-day operations.
a. desktop c. enterprise
b. workgroup d. transactional

____ 82. A(n) ____ database is used by an organization and supports many users across many departments.
a. desktop c. enterprise
b. workgroup d. transactional

____ 83. A(n) ____ database supports a small number of users, or a specific department within an organization.
a. desktop c. enterprise
b. workgroup d. transactional

____ 84. A ____ database supports data distributed across several different sites.
a. single-user c. centralized
b. multiuser d. distributed

____ 85. A workgroup database is a(n)____ database.

a. single-user c. enterprise
b. multiuser d. distributed

____ 86. A desktop database is a ____ database.

a. single-user c. workgroup
b. multiuser d. distributed
____ 87. Most decision-support data are based on historical data obtained from ____.
a. operational databases c. enterprise databases
b. data warehouses d. workgroup databases

____ 88. The ____ structure is quite different from that of an operational or transactional database.
a. data warehouse c. enterprise database
b. workgroup database d. distributed database

____ 89. ____ data exist in the format in which they were collected.
a. Structured c. Unstructured
b. Semistructured d. Historical

____ 90. ____ data exist in a format that does not lend itself to processing that yields information.
a. Structured c. Unstructured
b. Semistructured d. Historical

____ 91. ____ data are the result of formatting to facilitate storage, use and generation of information.
a. Structured c. Unstructured
b. Semistructured d. Historical

____ 92. Most data you encounter is best classified as ____.

a. Structured c. Unstructured
b. Semistructured d. Historical

____ 93. Which of the following is an example of structured data?

a. A Web page. c. A memo.
b. An e-mail. d. A spreadsheet.

____ 94. XML data is ____.

a. structured c. unstructured
b. multistructured d. semistructured

____ 95. The organization of the data within the folders in a manual file system was determined by ____.
a. the date of creation c. the title of the documents in the folder
b. its expected use d. the data processing specialist

____ 96. A ____ is a logically connected set of one or more fields that describes a person, place or thing.
a. database c. record
b. column d. file

____ 97. A ____ is a collection of related records.

a. database c. column
b. field d. file
____ 98. A ____ is a character or group of characters that has a specific meaning.
a. database c. record
b. field d. file

____ 99. The term ____ refers to an organization of components that define and regulate the collection, storage,
management and use of data within a database environment.
a. database management system c. management system
b. database management d. database system

____ 100. ____ relates to the activities that make the database perform more efficiently in terms of storage and
access speed.
a. Performance tuning c. Query access
b. Database design d. Database management

____ 101. Which of the following is a basic building block of all data models?
a. category c. constraint
b. class d. customer

____ 102. A(n) ____ represents a particular type of object in the real world.
a. attribute c. relationship
b. entity d. constraint

____ 103. A(n) ____ is anything about which data are to be collected and stored.
a. attribute c. relationship
b. entity d. constraint

____ 104. A(n) ____ is the equivalent of a field in a file system.

a. attribute c. relationship
b. entity d. constraint

____ 105. A(n) ____ is bidirectional.

a. attribute c. relationship
b. entity d. constraint

____ 106. A(n) ____ is a restriction placed on the data.

a. attribute c. relationship
b. entity d. constraint

____ 107. ____ are important to ensure data integrity.

a. Attributes c. Relationships
b. Entities d. Constraints

____ 108. ____ are normally expressed in the form of rules.

a. Attributes c. Relationships
b. Entities d. Constraints
____ 109. Students and classes have a ____ relationship.
a. one-to-one c. many-to-one
b. one-to-many d. many-to-many

____ 110. Business rules are derived from ____.

a. a detailed description of an organization’s operations
b. standards and practices developed over the years
c. managers’ recommendations
d. governmental oversight organization standards

____ 111. Which of the following is true of business rules?

a. They allow the designer to set company policies with regard to data.
b. They allow the designer to develop business processes.
c. They enable communication between the users and designers.
d. They provide a framework for the company’s self actualization.

____ 112. A noun in a business rule translates to a(n) ____ in the data model.
a. entity c. relationship
b. attribute d. constraint

____ 113. A verb associating two nouns in a business rule translates to a(n) ____ in the data model.
a. entity c. relationship
b. attribute d. constraint

____ 114. The hierarchical data model was developed in the ____.
a. 1960s c. 1980s
b. 1970s d. 1990s

____ 115. The relational data model was developed in the ____.
a. 1960s c. 1980s
b. 1970s d. 1990s

____ 116. The object-oriented data model was developed in the ____.
a. 1960s c. 1980s
b. 1970s d. 1990s

____ 117. VMS/VSAM is an example of a(n) ____.

a. hierarchical model c. relational data model
b. file system data model d. XML data model

____ 118. Oracle 10g is an example of a(n) ____.

a. hierarchical model c. relational data model
b. file system data model d. XML data model

____ 119. MySQL is an example of a(n) ____.

a. hierarchical model c. relational data model
 b. file system data model d. XML data model

____ 120. In the ____ model, the basic logical structure is represented as an upside-down tree.
a. hierarchical c. relational
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 121. In the ____ model, each parent can have many children, but each child has only one parent.
a. hierarchical c. relational
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 122. One of the limitations of the ____ model was that there were no implementation standards.
a. hierarchical c. relational
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 123. The DBTG report contains specifications for a(n) ____ that defines the environment in which data is to be
managed.
a. ERM c. DBMS
b. DML d. file system

____ 124. In the ____ model, the user perceives the database as a collection of records in 1:M relationships, where
each record can have more than one parent.
a. hierarchical c. object-oriented
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 125. The ____ model was developed to allow designers to use a graphical tool to examine structures rather than
describing them with text.
a. hierarchical c. object-oriented
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 126. The ____ model uses the term connectivity to label the relationship types.
a. relational c. object-oriented
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 127. The ____ model uses the concept of inheritance.

a. relational c. object-oriented
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 128. The ____ model is said to be a semantic data model.

a. relational c. object-oriented
b. network d. entity relationship

____ 129. Which data model has the highest level of abstraction?
a. Object-oriented c. Relational
b. Entity relationship d. Hierarchical
____ 130. The ____ model represents a global view of the database as viewed by the entire organization.
a. external c. internal
b. conceptual d. physical

____ 131. ____ logic, used extensively in mathematics, provides a framework in which an assertion (statement of fact)
can be verified as either true or false.
a. Predicate c. Relational
b. Database d. Index

____ 132. The relational database model enables you to view data ____ rather than ____.
a. relationally, hierarchically c. physically, logically
b. hierarchically, relationally d. logically, physically

____ 133. The relational model’s creator, E. F. Codd, used the term relation as a synonym for ____.
a. index c. table
b. key d. relationship

____ 134. A(n) ____ is perceived as a two-dimensional structure composed of rows and columns.
a. table c. attribute
b. rowset d. intersection

____ 135. Date attributes contain calendar dates stored in a special format known as the ____ date format.
a. Epoch c. Julian
b. Calendar d. logical

____ 136. ____ data can have only a true or false (yes or no) condition.
a. Logical c. Date
b. Character d. Numeric

____ 137. In the relational model, ____ are important because they are used to ensure that each row in a table is
uniquely identifiable
a. relations c. indexes
b. keys d. logical structures

____ 138. In the context of a database table, the statement “A ____ B” indicates that if you know the value of attribute
A, you can look up the value of attribute B.
a. contains c. owns
b. is related to d. determines

____ 139. The attribute B is ____ the attribute A if each value in column A determines one and only one value in
column B.
a. logically dependent on c. determined by
b. owned by d. functionally dependent on

____ 140. Any attribute that is part of a key is known as a ____.

a. key attribute c. key determiner
 b. logical attribute d. selector

____ 141. If the attribute (B) is functionally dependent on a composite key (A) but not on any subset of that ____ key,
the attribute (B) is fully functionally dependent on (A).
a. foreign c. composite
b. unique d. complete

____ 142. A ____ is any key that uniquely identifies each row.
a. superkey c. selective
b. special d. candidate

____ 143. No data entry at all is known as a(n) ____.

a. nil c. empty
b. null d. zero

____ 144. Controlled ____ makes a relational database work.

a. relations c. chaos
b. logic d. redundancy

____ 145. A ____ is a textual representation of the database tables where each table is listed by its name followed by
the list of its attributes in parentheses.
a. relational dictionary c. relational schema
b. logical schema d. data dictionary

____ 146. In the following table description, ____ is the primary key.
PRODUCT (PROD_CODE, PROD_DESCRIPT, PROD_PRICE, PROD_ON_HAND, VEND_CODE)
a. PROD_DESCRIPT c. PROD_PRICE
b. PROD_CODE d. PROD_ON_HAND

____ 147. Referential ____ means that if the foreign key contains a value, that value refers to an existing valid tuple
(row) in another relation.
a. integrity c. direction
b. uniqueness d. relations

____ 148. A ____ key is defined as a key that is used strictly for data retrieval purposes.
a. lookup c. candidate
b. foreign d. secondary

____ 149. A ____ key is a minimal (irreducible) superkey.

a. secondary c. primary
b. candidate d. foreign

____ 150. All primary key entries are unique, and no part of a primary key may be ____.
a. zero c. null
b. a foreign key d. a candidate key
____ 151. A CUSTOMER table’s primary key is CUS_CODE. The CUSTOMER primary key column has no null
entries, and all entries are unique. This is an example of ____ integrity.
a. entity c. complete
b. referential d. null

____ 152. The ____ constraint can be placed on a column to ensure that every row in the table has a value for that
column.
a. HAS VALUE c. MUST HAVE VALUE
b. NOT NULL d. NOT EMPTY

____ 153. To be considered minimally relational, the DBMS must support the key relational operators ____,
PROJECT, and JOIN.
a. INTERSECT c. DIFFERENCE
b. UNION d. SELECT

____ 154. ____ combines all rows from two tables, excluding duplicate rows.
a. INTERSECT c. DIFFERENCE
b. UNION d. SELECT

____ 155. ____ yields only the rows that appear in both tables.
a. INTERSECT c. DIFFERENCE
b. UNION d. SELECT

____ 156. ____, also known as RESTRICT, yields values for all rows found in a table that satisfy a given condition.
a. INTERSECT c. DIFFERENCE
b. UNION d. SELECT

____ 157. ____ yields a vertical subset of a table.

a. PROJECT c. UNION
b. SELECT d. DIFFERENCE

____ 158. A(n) ____ join links tables by selecting only the rows with common values in their common attribute(s).
a. equal c. foreign
b. unique d. natural

____ 159. The equijoin takes its name from the comparison operator ____ used in the condition.
a. * c. =
b. < d. >

____ 160. In an outer join, the matched pairs would be retained and any unmatched values in the other table would be
left ____.
a. in another table
b. null
c. out of the results
d. with matching values from the original table
____ 161. A ____ contains at least all of the attribute names and characteristics for each table in the system.
a. data dictionary c. logical schema
b. relational schema d. join

____ 162. The ____ is actually a system-created database whose tables store the user/designer-created database
characteristics and contents.
a. meta dictionary c. data dictionary
b. schema d. system catalog

____ 163. In a database context, the word ____ indicates the use of the same attribute name to label different
attributes.
a. redundancy c. duplicate
b. homonym d. synonym

____ 164. In a database context, a(n) ____ indicates the use of different names to describe the same attribute.
a. entity c. synonym
b. duplicate d. homonym

____ 165. ____ relational type is the “relational ideal.”

a. 1:1 c. M:1
b. 1:M d. M:N

____ 166. The ____ relationship should be rare in any relational database design.
a. 1:1 c. M:1
b. 1:M d. M:N

____ 167. Since it is used to link the tables that originally were related in a M:N relationship, the composite entity
structure includes—as foreign keys—at least the ____ keys of the tables that are to be linked.
a. composite c. primary
b. super d. unique

____ 168. A(n) ____ is an ordered arrangement of keys and pointers.

a. table c. relationship
b. superkey d. index

____ 169. When you define a table’s primary key, the DBMS automatically creates a(n) ____ index on the primary
key column(s) you declared.
a. key c. unique
b. incomplete d. primary

____ 170. Codd’s rule of ____ states:

Application programs and ad hoc facilities are logically unaffected when changes are made to the table
structures that preserve the original table values (changing order of column or inserting columns).
a. Nonsubversion c. Comprehensive Data Sublanguage
b. Logical Data Independence d. Integrity Independence