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Sabrina Nastasi Exercise 4a 09/29/2022

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Chapter 5 Physical Database Design and Performance

1) A requirement to begin designing physical files and databases is:
A) normalized relations.
B) definitions of each attribute.
C) technology descriptions.
D) all of the above.
2) A key decision in the physical design process is:
A) knowing the user base.
B) selecting structures.
C) deciding on the monitor.
D) all of the above.
3) Designing physical files requires ________ of where and when data are used in
various ways.
A) maps
B) descriptions
C) keys
D) hints
4) The storage format for each attribute from the logical data model is chosen to
maximize ________ and minimize storage space.
A) query design
B) programmer productivity
C) data integrity
D) data integration
5) Database access frequencies are estimated from:
A) transaction volumes.
B) user logins.
C) security violations.
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D) none of the above.

6) A detailed coding scheme recognized by system software for representing
organizational data is called a(n):
A) DBMS code.
B) data type.
C) SQL.
D) DB layout.
7) All of the following are objectives when selecting a data type EXCEPT:
A) represent all possible values.
B) improve data integrity.
C) support all data manipulations.
D) use a lot of storage space.
8) All of the following are valid datatypes in Oracle 11g EXCEPT:
A) varchar2.
B) boolean.
C) blob.
D) number.
9) The smallest unit of application data recognized by system software is a:
A) field.
B) row.
C) data type.
D) column.
10) Which of the following is an objective of selecting a data type?
A) Represent a small number of possible values
B) Maximize storage space
C) Limit security
D) Improve data integrity
11) In which data model would a code table appear?
A) Conceptual
B) Logical
C) Physical
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D) Data layout
12) An integrity control supported by a DBMS is:
A) substitute estimates.
B) security.
C) range control.
D) GUI guards.
13) The value a field will assume unless the user enters an explicit value for an instance
of that field is called a(n):
A) default value.
B) null value.
C) range control.
D) gurand.
14) A method for handling missing data is to:
A) substitute and estimate for the missing data.
B) track missing data with special reports.
C) perform sensitivity testing.
D) all of the above.
15) Sensitivity testing involves:
A) checking to see if your teeth hurt when you brush.
B) seeing how accurate data are.
C) checking to see if missing data will greatly impact results.
D) none of the above.
16) All of the following are common denormalization opportunities EXCEPT:
A) two entities with a one-to-one relationship.
B) a one-to-many relationship.
C) a many-to-many relationship with nonkey attributes.
D) reference data.
17) In most cases, the goal of ________ dominates the design process.
A) efficient data processing
B) security
C) quick pointer updates
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D) shorter design times

18) Distributing the rows of data into separate files is called:
A) normalization.
B) horizontal partitioning.
C) vertical partitioning.
D) file allocation.
19) Horizontal partitioning makes sense:
A) when different categories of a table's rows are processed separately.
B) when less security is needed.
C) when partitions must be organized the same.
D) when all of the above are true.
20) An advantage of partitioning is:
A) efficiency.
B) remote optimization.
C) extra space and update time.
D) both A and B.
21) A disadvantage of partitioning is:
A) simplicity.
B) remote optimization.
C) extra space and update time.
D) shorter technology spans.
22) All of the following are horizontal partitioning methods in Oracle EXCEPT:
A) key range partitioning.
B) hash partitioning.
C) multivalued partitioning.
D) composite partitioning.
23) ________ partitioning distributes the columns of a table into several separate physical
records.
A) Horizontal
B) Crossways
C) Vertical
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D) Final
24) A form of denormalization where the same data are stored in multiple places in the
database is called:
A) data duplication.
B) data replication.
C) advanced placement.
D) horizontal partitioning.
25) Within Oracle, the named set of storage elements in which physical files for database
tables may be stored is called a(n):
A) extent.
B) table.
C) tablespace.
D) partition.
26) While Oracle has responsibility for managing data inside a tablespace, the tablespace
as a whole is managed by the:
A) user.
B) database administrator.
C) application developer.
D) operating system.
27) A contiguous section of disk storage space is called a(n):
A) track.
B) sector.
C) extent.
D) tablespace.
Answer: C
28) A(n) ________ is a field of data used to locate a related field or record.
A) key
B) index
C) lock
D) pointer
29) A(n) ________ is a technique for physically arranging the records of a file on
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secondary storage devices.

A) physical pointer
B) retrieval program
C) file organization
D) update program
30) A factor to consider when choosing a file organization is:
A) fast data retrieval.
B) security.
C) efficient storage.
D) all of the above.

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Part2
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1 Discuss the critical decisions that must be made during physical database design.

Selecting the proper storage format for the data to be saved in the database is one of the crucial
decisions.
 And choosing the data type for each attribute within the logical model.
And aggregating attributes from the logical data model to produce physical records.
 Providing the freedom to add new performance-enhancing tactics. These are the crucial
decisions that must be taken during the physical database design process

2 Discuss why physical database design is a foundation for compliance with regulations
on financial reporting.

Financial reporting is a must-manage, plan, and record. So to create its total record and database,
it must be robust and have the required constraints to secure and remove redundancy from such
critical reports, so physical database design comes into play.
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Physical database design optimizes performance, has required data integrity, and removes
redundancy. And managing financial data is a never-ending task, but physical databases can
handle it.
It's the basis for financial reporting.

3 Discuss the rationale behind data volume and usage analysis.

Statistics on data volume and frequency of use are critical inputs into the physical database
design process, especially for very large-scale database implementations.
Data volume and usage analysis is not a one-time static activity; rather, significant changes in
usage and data volumes must be monitored on a continuous basis. As a result, database
professionals must have a thorough understanding of the database's size and usage patterns
throughout its life cycle.
Adding notation to the EER diagram, which represents the final set of normalized relations from
logical database design, is an easy way to show statistics about data volumes and usage.

4 Explain how one goes about choosing data types.

A Data Type is a specific coding scheme that is understood by system software, such as a
DBMS, to be used in the representation of data pertaining to an organization.
The end user is typically not concerned with the bit pattern of the coding scheme; however, the
physical database design must take into consideration the amount of space necessary to store data
as well as the speed required to access data.
Different database management systems provide a selection of distinct data types for use in a
relation's or table's fields and attributes.
When choosing a data type, there are four goals to keep in mind:
Represent all of the possible values, improve data integrity, enable all of the possible data
manipulations, and reduce the amount of space needed for storage.
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5 Discuss coding techniques and how they could be used.

A field with a small number of possible values or extremely large values can be converted into a
code that requires less space. This will reduce the available space on the field.
The Coded Table is absent from the conceptual and logical models. It is a physical structure
designed to enhance data processing performance and not a collection of data with business
value.

6 Discuss how data integrity can be controlled.

Numerous DBMSs rely on the physical structure of the fields to ensure data integrity (i.e.,
controls on the possible value a field can assume).
The data type imposes one form of data integrity control by limiting the type of data (numeric or
character) and the size (or length) of a field value.
Default Value
It is the value a field assumes when a user does not enter a value for a particular instance of that
field.
Assigning a default value to a field can reduce data entry time by allowing the user to skip
entering a value.
Additionally, it can reduce data entry errors for the most frequent value.
Range control
A range control restricts the allowed values for a field. The range may be a range of numbers or a
list of specific values.
Null value control
A null value is defined as an empty or unavailable value.
The value of the primary key attribute cannot be null.
Referential consistency
Referential integrity is a form of range control in which the value of a field must exist in another
row of the same or (more commonly) a different table.
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7 Explain what a tablespace is and how it is used.

Tablespaces are the logical entity in our database and store logically organized data in datafiles.
They are referred to as logical storage units because they are hidden from the operating system's
file system. Only one database is associated with a tablespace, and at least one datafile is used to
store tablespace data. Tablespaces can also be defined as logical storage units comprised of one
or more datafiles. There can be up to 1022 datafiles per tablespace. This number depends on your
operating system.

8 Explain the differences between sequential and indexed file organizations.

QSAM files are sequential files while VSAM files are index files.
Data is entered in entry sequential order while key sequential order is utilized for the keys.
While duplicate data is permitted in Indesxe, it is not permitted.

9 How are missing values generally handled in database management systems?

When a field may be empty, it may suffice to enter nothing.

Using a default value and disallowing missing (null) values have been mentioned as two options
for handling or preventing missing data. The subsequent are additional methods for handling
missing data:
Fill in an estimate for the missing value
For example, when calculating monthly product sales, the mean of the existing monthly sales
values for a product with a missing sales value is used.
Monitor missing data
Utilize a mechanism to prompt database users to quickly resolve unknown values. This can be
accomplished by configuring a database trigger.
Conduct sensitivity testing
Utilize some mechanism to remind database users of the sensitivity of the value, which he is
about to overlook.