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Lecture 3_Database concepts & data types

The document outlines basic database concepts including entities, attributes, and relationships, which are essential for database design. It also details various data types used in SQL and Microsoft Access, such as numeric, text, date/time, and boolean types. Understanding these concepts and data types is crucial for effective data storage and manipulation in databases.

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6 views

Lecture 3_Database concepts & data types

The document outlines basic database concepts including entities, attributes, and relationships, which are essential for database design. It also details various data types used in SQL and Microsoft Access, such as numeric, text, date/time, and boolean types. Understanding these concepts and data types is crucial for effective data storage and manipulation in databases.

Uploaded by

prudencechilonde1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Database Concepts and Data

Types

Mrs Mulambia Chewe Luaba


Lesson Outline
Basic Database Concepts
Basic Database Concepts
Entities
• Definition: An entity is a person, place, thing, or
concept that has independent existence and is
of interest to the organization.
• Examples: Customers, Orders, Products,
Employees
• Characteristics: Entities have attributes and
relationships with other entities.
•
Attributes
• Definition: An attribute is a characteristic or
property of an entity that describes or defines
it.
• Examples: Customer Name, Order Date,
Product Price, Employee Salary
• Types: Attributes can be single-valued (e.g.,
Customer Name) or multi-valued (e.g.,
Product Colors).
Relationships
• Definition: A relationship is a connection
between two or more entities that shows how
they interact or are associated.
• Types: Relationships can be one-to-one (1:1),
one-to-many (1:N), or many-to-many (M:N).
• Examples: A customer can place many orders
(1:N), a product can be ordered by many
customers (M:N).
Data Types Used SQL in Databases
• Numeric: Data Types
• Integer: Whole numbers, e.g., 1, 2, 3
• Decimal: Decimal numbers, e.g., 3.14, -0.5
• Float: Floating-point numbers, e.g., 3.14E-5
• Char: Fixed-length character strings, e.g., 'ABC'
• VarChar: Variable-length character strings, e.g.,
'ABCDEF'
• Text: Large character strings, e.g., paragraphs of
text
Data Types Used in Databases
Date and Time Data Types
• Date: Dates, e.g., '2022-07-25'
• Time: Times, e.g., '14:30:00'
• Timestamp: Dates and times, e.g., '2022-07-25 14:30:00‘

Other Data Types


• - Boolean: True or false values
• - Binary: Binary data, e.g., images, audio files
• - Null: Unknown or missing values
Data Types in Microsoft Access
• Text and Memo:
• Short Text: Alphanumeric data, limited to 255 characters.
• Long Text: Large amounts of alphanumeric data, up to
approximately 1 GB, but display limitations exist.
• Number:
• Number: Numeric data, with various Field Size options
(Byte, Integer, Long, Single, Double, Decimal,
ReplicationID).
• AutoNumber: Automatically increments for each new
record, often used as a primary key.
Data Types in Microsoft Access
Other Data Types:
• Date/Time: Stored as a number, representing dates and times.
• Currency: Monetary values, stored with four decimal places.
• Yes/No: Boolean values (True/False, Yes/No, On/Off), stored as 0 or -1.
• OLE Object: Stores objects from other applications, such as images or
embedded spreadsheets.
• Hyperlink: Stores links to files or web addresses.
• Attachment: Allows you to attach files to records, YittBox states.
• Calculated: Stores the result of an expression, which dynamically
calculates values based on other fields.
• Lookup Wizard: Limits field values to a list of choices,
suggests www.sfmagazine.com.
Unit Summary
• Understanding entities, attributes, and
relationships is crucial for designing and
implementing databases.
• Familiarity with various data types is also
essential for storing and manipulating data
effectively in databases.
Review Questions
• What is meant by each of the following terms:
– Entity
– Attribute
– Relationship
• List the data types found in SQL databases
• List the data types used in Microsoft Access

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