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DBMS Exam

The document outlines the examination details for the Meru University of Science and Technology's Database Systems course for the academic year 2017/2018. It includes various questions covering topics such as relational databases, SQL queries, information security threats, transaction properties, and database normalization. The exam consists of five questions, with students required to answer question one and any two additional questions.

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Song Benard
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57 views4 pages

DBMS Exam

The document outlines the examination details for the Meru University of Science and Technology's Database Systems course for the academic year 2017/2018. It includes various questions covering topics such as relational databases, SQL queries, information security threats, transaction properties, and database normalization. The exam consists of five questions, with students required to answer question one and any two additional questions.

Uploaded by

Song Benard
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MERU UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

P.O. Box 972-60200 – Meru-Kenya.


Tel: +254(0) 799 529 958, +254(0) 799 529 959, + 254 (0) 712 524 293,
Website: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

University Examinations 2017/2018

SECOND YEAR SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF


BACHELOR OF ACTURIAL SCIENCE AND BACHELOR OF MATHEMATICS AND
COMPUTER SCIENCE

CIT 3201: DATABASE SYSTEMS

DATE: SEPTEMBER 2018 TIME: 2 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer question one and any other two questions

QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)

a) Differentiate between the following terms as used in relational database (6 marks)

i. Tuple and attribute

ii. Foreign key and primary key

iii. Partial and transitive dependencies

b) State any three properties of a relation (3 marks)

c) What is structural independence, and why is it important? (3 marks)

d) Consider the following business rules and draw a well labelled ERD

i. A patent has a patient number (identifying), a name and address (with house
number, street and district)

ii. Patients are treated in a single ward by the doctors assigned to them

iii. Usually each patient will be assigned a single doctor, but in rare cases they will
have two

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified


Foundation of Innovations Page 1
iv. Healthcare assistants also attend to the patients; a number of these are
associated with each ward’. (4 marks)

e) State the three levels of abstraction of the ANSI/SPARC architecture (3 marks)

f) Define normalization and explain any three problems solved by normalization

(6 marks)

g) Discuss concurrency control using optimistic methods (5 marks)

QUESTION TWO (20MARKS)

a) In a SELECT query, what is the difference between a where clause and a having
clause? (2 marks)

b) What type of integrity is enforced when a primary key is declared (2 marks)

c) What is the difference between a column constraint and a table constraint (2 marks)

d) Explain the difference between an ORDER BY clause and a GROUP BY clause

(2 marks)

e) Consider the following relation:

STAFF (Sno, Fname, Lname, address, position, salary, bno)

i. Write SQL statement to CREATE a database named M_Staff (2 marks)

ii. Write SQL statement to CREATE the above table and insert the data in the
table (4 marks)

iii. Write SQL statement to DELETE all staff whose Fname is Mary (3 marks)

iv. Write SQL statement to create an extra column named S_ Grade (3 marks)

QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)


a) State the three broad classifications of information security threats and state a threat
that falls under each category (6 marks)
b) Using a suitable example explain the six steps in developing and entity relationship
diagram (6 marks)
c) Relationship participation plays a major role in ER design; discuss the two relationship
participation types (4 marks)

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified


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d) Define the following aspects of data as used in database management systems:
(4 marks)
i. Integrated
ii. Shared
QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS
a) Discuss the four properties of a transaction (4 marks)
b) Discuss any three concurrency control mechanisms (6 marks)
c) Suppose that your database system has failed. Describe the database recovery process
and use of deferred-write and write-through techniques (6 marks)
d) Replication and fragmentation are approaches to distributed data storage; differentiate
between the two approaches stating an advantage of each (4 marks)
QUESTION FIVE (20 MARKS)
a) Explain why database design is important (3 marks)
b) Study the report below and answer the questions that follow
The following data was picked from a health report
HEALTH HISTORY REPORT
PET AGE OWNER VISIT DATE PROCEDURE
12 SAM COOK JAN 13/2012 01-RABIES VACCINATION
MAR 27/2012 10-EXAMINE and TREAT
WOUND
APR 02/2012 05-HEART WORM TEST
2 TERRY KIM JAN 21/2012 08-TETANUS VACCINATION
MAR 10/2012 05-HEART WORM TEST
4 SAM COOK JAN 23/2011 01-RABIES VACCINATION
JAN 13/2012 01-RABIES VACCINATION

Transform the data to its


i. Un-normalized form UNF (3 marks)
ii. First normal form 1NF (3 marks)
iii. Second normal form 2NF (3 marks)

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified


Foundation of Innovations Page 3
c) Database management systems have a range of features and capabilities which is a
must have so as to successfully perform all the duties required of it. State and explain
four features offered by a DBMS (8 marks)

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified


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