Database Modelling and Information

Key termonology for quizzes and assignments

Ad hoc query

A “sur-of-the-moment” question

Analytical database

A database focused primarily on storing historical data and business metric used for tactical or strategic decision making.

Application programming interface (API)

Software through which applications interact with each other transmitting data, messages, status, etc. Also specifically software through which programmers interect with middleware. An API allows the use of generic SQL code, thereby allowing client processes to be database server-independent.

Business Integlligence

A set of tool and processes used to capture, collect, integrate, store, and analyse data to support business decision making.

Centralised database

A database located at a single site.

Cloud database

A database that is created and maintained using cloud services, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS.

Data

Raw facts, or facts that have not yet been processed to reveal their meaning to the end user.

Data anomaly

A data abnormality in which inconsistent changes have been made to a database. For example, and employee moves, but the address change is not corrected in all files in the database.

Data dependence

A data condition in which data representation and mainpulation are dependent on the physical data storage characteristics.

Data dicitonary

A DBMS component that stores metadata - data about data. The data dicitonary contain the data definition as well as their characteristics and relationships. A data dict may also include data that is external to the DBMS → Known as an information resource dictionary.

Data inconsistency

A condition in which different versions of the same data yield different (inconsistent) results.

Data Independence

A condition in which data access is unaffected by changed in the physical data storage characteristics.

Data integrity

In a relational database, a condition in which the data in the database complies with all entity and referential integrity constraints.

Data management