Course Name: Database Systems Course Code: CSE301

Sheet No.: One Schedule: Wednesday

1. Define each of the following terms:

a. Data h. Systems Development Life Cycle
b. Information (SDLC)
c. Data Directory (DD) or Metadata i. Prototyping
d. Constraint j. Enterprise data model
e. Database System k. Conceptual data model
f. Entity l. Logical data model
g. Database Management System m. Physical data model
(DBMS)

2. Contrast the following terms:

a. Data dependence; Data independence f. Systems Development Life Cycle;
b. Structured data; Unstructured data Prototyping
c. Data; Information g. Enterprise Data Model;
d. Repository; Database Conceptual Data Model
e. Entity; Enterprise Data Model h. Prototyping; Agile Software
Development

3. Explain the differences between user views, a conceptual schema, and an

internal schema as different perspectives of the same database.

4. List 10 potential benefits of the database approach over conventional file

systems.

5. List five costs or risks associated with the database approach.

6. A relationship is established between any pairs of entities in an enterprise data

model. Explain why the relationship is necessary.

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 7. Name the five phases of the traditional systems development life cycle, and
explain the purpose and deliverables of each phase.

8. State briefly the disadvantages of file processing system.

9. What are the problems with data dependency?

10. What are the problems with data redundancy?

11. State the types of relationships; give at least two examples for each?

12. State briefly with net graph the components of the database environment

13. In the three-schema architecture:

a. The view of a manager or other type of user is called the ………… schema.
b. The view of the data architect or data administrator is called the ……. schema.
c. The view of the database administrator is called the …………. schema.

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Course Name: Database Systems Course Code: CSE301

Sheet No.: One Schedule: Wednesday

1. Define each of the following terms:

a. Data
Stored representations of objects and events that have meaning and importance in
the user’s environment.
b. Information
Data that have been processed in such a way as to increase the knowledge of the
person who uses the data.
c. Data Directory (DD) or Metadata
Data that describe the properties or characteristics of end-user data and the context
of those data.

d. Constraint
A rule that cannot be violated by database users.
e. Database
A database is an organized collection of logically related data, usually designed to
meet the information needs of multiple users in an organization.
f. Entity
A person, a place, an object, an event, or a concept in the user environment about
which the organization wishes to maintain data.

j. Database Management System (DBMS)

A software system that is used to create, maintain, and provide controlled access to
user databases.
h. Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
The traditional methodology used to develop, maintain, and replace information
systems.

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The SDLC is a complete set of steps that a team of information systems
professionals, including database designers and programmers, follow in an
organization to specify, develop, maintain, and replace information systems.

i. Prototyping
An iterative process of systems development in which requirements are converted
to a working system that is continually revised through close work between analysts
and users.
j. Enterprise data model
The first step in database development, in which the scope and general
contents of organizational databases are specified.
The enterprise data model is a graphical model that shows the high-level
entities for the organization and the relationships among those entities.
Enterprise data model is represented with the help of a E-R diagram that
shows the entities, attributes, relations, connectivity and cardinalities.

k. Conceptual data model

A detailed, technology-independent specification of the overall structure of
organizational data.
l. Logical data model
The representation of a database for a particular data management technology.
m. Physical data model
Specifications for how data from a logical schema are stored in a computer’s
secondary memory by a database management system.

2. Contrast the following terms:

a. Data dependence; data independence. With data dependence, data descriptions are
included with the application programs that use the data, while with data
independence the data descriptions are separated from the application programs.

b. Structured data; unstructured data. Structured data refers to facts related to objects
and events of importance in the user’s environment and represent the traditional data
that is easily stored and retrieved in traditional databases and data warehouses.
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 Unstructured data refers to multimedia data, such as images, sound and video
segments or to unstructured textual data. All these types of data are now stored as part
of the user’s business environment.

c. Data; information. Data consist of facts, text, and other multimedia objects, while
information is data that have been processed in such a way that it can increase the
knowledge of the person who uses it.

d. Repository; database. A repository provides centralized storage for all data

definitions, data relationships, and other system components, while a database is an
organized collection of logically related data

e. Entity; enterprise data model. An entity is an object or concept that is important to the
business, while an enterprise data model is a graphical model that shows the high-
level entities for the organization and the relationship among those entities.

f. Systems development life cycle; prototyping. Both are systems development processes.
The SDLC is a methodical, highly structured approach that includes many checks and
balances. Consequently, the SDLC is often criticized for the length of time needed
until a working system is produced, which occurs only at the end of the process.
Increasingly, organizations use more rapid application development (RAD) processes,
which follow an iterative process of rapidly repeating analysis, design, and
implementation steps until you converge on the system the user wants. Prototyping is
a widely used method within RAD. In prototyping, a database and its applications are
iteratively refined through a close interaction of systems developers and users.

g. Enterprise data model; conceptual data model. In an enterprise data model, the
range and contents of the organizational databases are set. Generally, the enterprise
data model represents all of the entities and relationships. The conceptual data model
extends the enterprise data model further by combining all of the various user views
and then representing the organizational databases using ER diagrams.
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h. Prototyping; Agile software development. Prototyping is a rapid application
development (RAD) method where a database and its application(s) are iteratively
refined through analysis, design, and implementation cycles with systems developers
and end users. Agile software development is a method that shares an emphasis on
iterative development with the prototyping method yet further emphasizes the people
and rapidity of response in its process.

3. Differences between conceptual schema, user view, and internal schema:

A conceptual schema defines the whole database without reference to how data are stored
in a computer’s secondary memory. A user view (or external schema) is also independent
of database technology, but typically contains a subset of the associated conceptual
schema, relevant to a particular user or group of users (e.g., an inventory manager or
accounts receivable department). An internal schema consists of both a physical schema
and a logical schema. A logical schema consists of a representation of the data for a type
of data management technology. For example, if the relational model is the technology
used, then the logical schema will consist of tables, columns, rows, primary keys, foreign
keys and constraints. A physical schema contains the specifications for how data from a
logical schema are stored in a computer’s secondary memory.

4. List 10 potential benefits of the database approach over conventional file

systems.
i. Program-Data Independence;
Metadata stored in DBMS, so applications don’t need to worry about
data formats
Data queries/updates managed by DBMS so programs don’t need to
process data access routines
Results in: increased application development and maintenance
productivity
ii. Minimal Data Redundancy
Leads to increased data integrity/consistency
iii. Improved Data Sharing
Different users get different views of the data
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 iv. Enforcement of Standards
All data access is done in same way
v. Improved Data Quality
Constraints, data validation rules
vi. Better Data Accessibility/Responsiveness
Use of standard data query language (SQL)
vii. Security, Backup/Recovery, Concurrency
Disaster recovery is easy

5. List five costs or risks associated with the database approach.

 Up-front Costs
– Installation Management Cost and Complexity
– Conversion Cost
 Ongoing Costs
– Requires New, Specialized Personnel
– Need for Explicit Backup & Recovery
 Organizational Conflicts
– Old habits die hard

6. A relationship is established between any pairs of entities in an enterprise

data model. Explain why the relationship is necessary.
A relationship is an important component of a relational database.
i. It establishes a connection between a pair of entities that are logically
related to each other
ii. It helps to further refine table structures and minimize redundant data.
iii. It is the mechanism that enables you to draw data from multiple tables
simultaneously.

7. Name the five phases of the traditional systems development life cycle,
and explain the purpose and deliverables of each phase.
i. Planning;
To develop a preliminary understanding of a business situation and how
information systems might help solve a problem or make an opportunity
possible.

ii. Analysis;
To analyze the business situation thoroughly to determine requirements,
to structure those requirements, and to select among competing system
features.

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 iii. Design;
To elicit and structure all information requirements; to develop all
technology and organizational specifications.

iv. Implementation;
To write programs, build databases, test and install the new system, train
users, and finalize documentation

v. Maintenance;
To monitor the operation and usefulness of the system, and to repair and
enhance the system
8. State briefly the disadvantages of file processing system
 Program-Data Dependence
– All programs maintain metadata for each file they use
 Data Redundancy (Duplication of data)
– Different systems/programs have separate copies of the same data
 Limited Data Sharing
– No centralized control of data
 Lengthy Development Times
– Programmers must design their own file formats
 Excessive Program Maintenance
– 80% of information systems budget

9. What are the problems with data dependency?

i. Each application programmer must maintain their own data.
ii. Each application program needs to include code for the metadata of
each file.
iii. Each application program must have its own processing routines for
reading, inserting, updating and deleting data.
iv. Lack of coordination and central control.
v. Non-standard file formats.

10. What are the problems with data redundancy?

i. Waste of space to have duplicate data
ii. Causes more maintenance headaches
iii. The Biggest Problem; When data changes in one file, could cause
inconsistencies; Compromises data integrity
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11. State the types of relationships; give at least two examples for each?
One-to-one relationship (1:1):
 Each car has one plate number and each plate number identifies one car.
 Each citizen has one national ID and each national ID identifies one citizen.
One-to-many relationship (1:M):
 A building contains many apartments but those apartments belong to the same building.
 A book contains many chapter but those chapters belong to the same book.
Many-to-many relationship (M:M):
 A student can take many courses and each course can be taken by many students.
 One order involves many products and one product is involved in many orders.

12. State briefly with net graph the components of the database environment
i. CASE Tools – computer-aided software engineering
ii. Repository – centralized storehouse of metadata
iii. Database Management System (DBMS) – software for managing the
database
iv. Database – storehouse of the data
v. Application Programs – software using the data
vi. User Interface – text and graphical displays to users
vii. Data Administrators – personnel responsible for maintaining the
database
viii. System Developers – personnel responsible for designing databases and
software
ix. End Users – people who use the applications and databases

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13. Three-schema architecture:

a. external schema
b. conceptual schema
c. internal schema

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