1) What is data?

Ans: Data is raw facts and figures that are stored in the database. Example: 1,2,3, A, B,
C, Ram, Rita, etc.

2) What is information?
Ans: Information is the processed and meaningful data. Example: There are 45
students in a class room, Ram is a student, etc.

3) What is database?
Ans: A database is a collection of related data which helps to get, add, delete and
update data efficiently. Examples: Student Database, Bank database, Teacher
database, etc.

4) What is Database Management System (DBMS)?

Ans: DBMS is software that is used to create, manage, and operate databases. Example:
MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.

5) What is Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)?

Ans: RDBMS is a type of DBMS that stores data in the form of tables (also called
relations).

Each table has rows and columns.

Example: Students Table

Student_ID Name Age

1 Ram 14

2 Sita 15

6) Who is database administrator (DBA)?

Ans: A Database Administrator (DBA) is a person who manages, maintain, and secure
database system.

The DBA ensures that the database is available, performs well, is secure, and is backed
up properly.

Example: In a college DBA manages the student and teacher database.

7) What is data security?

Ans: Data security is the protection of data from unauthorized access, corruption, loss,
or theft.

Example: In a college database, only teachers can access the student records, students
can access their own record.

8) What is data integrity?

Ans: It ensures that the data entered, stored, and retrieved remains correct and
unaltered, except through authorized and proper processes in database.

Example: In a student database:

- A student's roll number must be unique (primary key).

9) Define key, primary key, candidate key, alternate key, composite key,
super key.
Ans:

Key

- A key is an attribute (column) or a set of attributes used to uniquely identify a

row (record) in a table.
- It helps maintain data integrity and prevents duplicate records.

a. Primary Key

• A Primary Key is a unique identifier for each record in a table.

• It cannot be NULL and must be unique.

• A table can have only one primary key.

Example:

Student_ID Name Age

101 Ram 14

102 Sita 15

Here, Student_ID is the primary key.

b. Candidate Key

• A Candidate Key is any attribute (or group of attributes) that can uniquely
identify a record.

• There can be multiple candidate keys in a table.

 • From these, one is chosen as the Primary Key.

Example:

Roll_No Email Name

101 [email protected] Ram

102 [email protected] Sita

Both Roll_No and Email are candidate keys because both can uniquely identify a
student.

c. Super Key

• A Super Key is a set of one or more attributes that can uniquely identify a
record.

• It includes all candidate keys and any combination that includes them.

Example:

From the table:

Roll_No Email Name

101 [email protected] Ram

Possible super keys:

• {Roll_No}

• {Email}

• {Roll_No, Email}

• {Roll_No, Name} (as long as it uniquely identifies a row)

d. Alternate Key/Secondary key:

• An Alternate Key is a candidate key that is not chosen as the primary key.

• It can still uniquely identify a record but is used as an alternative to the primary
key.

• There can be multiple alternate keys in a table.

Example:
Student_ID (Primary Key) Email (Alternate Key) Name

101 [email protected] Ram

102 [email protected] Sita

Here, Student_ID is the primary key, and Email is an alternate key because it also
uniquely identifies students but is not chosen as the primary key.

e. Composite key:

• A composite key is a combination of two or more attributes (columns) that

together uniquely identify a record in a table.

• Individually, the attributes in a composite key may not be unique, but their
combination must be unique.

Example:

Enrollment Table:

Student_ID Course_ID Grade

101 CSE101 A

101 MTH102 B

102 CSE101 A

Here:

• Neither Student_ID nor Course_ID alone is unique.

• But the combination of Student_ID and Course_ID is unique.

• So, (Student_ID, Course_ID) is a composite key.

10) Define field.

Ans: Field is a column in a table. It is also called a column or attribute.

Example:

In a Student table:
Student_ID Name Age

101 Ram 14

102 Sita 15

• Student_ID, Name and Age are fields.

11) Define record.

Ans: Record is a row in table. It is also called as tuple.

Example:

In a Student table:

Student_ID Name Age

101 Ram 14

102 Sita 15

• The row with 101, Ram, 14 is a record.

• The row with 102, Sita, 15 is another record.

12) Define entity and relationship.

Ans:

a) Entity

- An entity is a real-world object or thing which data can be stored in a

database. Examples: a person, car, book, course etc.

- It is also called as table.

b) Relationship:

- A relationship is an association between two or more entities in a database.

• Shown using ER (Entity-Relationship) diagrams.

• Example: A Student is enrolled in a Course. Here, Student and Course is two
entities.

13. Define data dictionary.

Ans: A Data Dictionary is a central repository that contains metadata information about
the structure, definitions, and properties of the data stored in a database. Example,
information about database, tables, columns in tables, etc.

14) Define SQL.

Ans: SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is a programming language for
relational databases.

- It is used to create, retrieve, update, and delete data in a database.

15) Define normal forms?

Ans: Normal forms are a set of guidelines or rules used in relational database design to
eliminate redundancy (duplicate data) and ensure data integrity.

- The process of applying these rules is called Normalization.

- Each normal form (NF) builds upon the previous one, with stricter rules.

16) Define Database Model?

Ans: A Database Model is a logical structure or design that defines how data is stored,
organized, and accessed in a database.

Common types of database models are:

a) Hierarchical Model: Data is organized in a tree-like structure.

b) Network Model: Data is organized using graphs.
c) Relational Model: Data is organized into tables (relations).

17) Define Architecture of Database System.

Ans: The architecture of a database system refers to the design and structure that
defines how users, applications, and the database interact with each other.

The database architecture is categorized as:

a) Centralized Database System: All the data is stored and managed in a single
location.
b) Distributed Database System: Data is stored across multiple locations.