database exam

What are characteristics that define a database? (Choose all that apply) 

It has a purpose.

It has a structure.

It has data.

It is quick and easy to use.

It has a purpose.

It has a structure.

It has data.

It is quick and easy to use.

Which of the following features are supported by DBMSes? (Choose all that apply)

Retrieving data for processing by applications via queries.

Being able to delete data.

Compiling code into binaries.

Providing a graphical user interface.

Allowing and restricting read or write access to data.

Defining new data structures.

Displaying web pages.

Retrieving data for processing by applications via queries.

Being able to delete data.

Allowing and restricting read or write access to data.

Defining new data structures.

Which database role handles the installation of the DBMS?

Knowledge Worker

Programmer

DBA

End User

DBA

The following "PEOPLE" table in a database exists (The first row is the names of the columns.  All other rows store information.)...

Which of the following is Meta-Data?

"Ann" is a person.

Integers may be stored in the column AGE of the table PEOPLE.

This database has a table called "PEOPLE".

There are two rows of data in the PEOPLE table.

"John" is "10".

Integers may be stored in the column AGE of the table PEOPLE.

This database has a table called "PEOPLE".

There are two rows of data in the PEOPLE table.

A Relational Database Model uses which of the following data structure(s) to store information?

Linked Lists

Tables

Pointers

Sets

Tables

For the database model we will use in this class, a database Column is also referred to as...

An Entity

A Subject Instance 

A Characteristic 

An Attribute

A Tuple

An Entity Type

A Field

A Record

An Attribute

A Field

A Characteristic 

For the database model we will use in this class, a database Row is also referred to as...

An Entity

A Subject Instance 

A Characteristic 

An Attribute

A Tuple

An Entity Type

A Field

A Record

An Entity

A Subject Instance 

A Tuple

A Record

ERD stands for:

Entity Relationship Diagram

Which of the follow describes the following statement...(select all that apply)

A "STUDENT" may enroll in many "CLASS"es, but does not have to enroll in any.  A "CLASS" may have many "STUDENT"s, but does not have to have any.  After enrolling a student can drop a course (un-enrolling them).

 

This is a transferable relationship.

This is an optional relationship in both directions.

This relationship is mandatory in one direction, and optional in the other. 

This is a non-transferable relationship.

This is a one to one relationship.

This is a one to many relationship.

This is a mandatory relationship in both directions.

This is a many to many relationship.

This is a transferable relationship.

This is an optional relationship in both directions.

This is a many to many relationship.

In Chen’s notation an Entity is drawn as…

 

A Diamond

A Rectangle

A line

An Ellipse

A Rectangle

In Chen’s notation an Attribute is drawn as…

 

A Diamond

A Rectangle

A line

An Ellipse (oval)

An Ellipse

In Chen’s notation an Relationship is drawn as…

 

A Diamond

A Rectangle

A line

An Ellipse (oval)

a diamond

i skipped question 12, wait till prof answers

A "Mission Objective" defines multiple task.

true or false

false

In which phase of the SDLC is an ERD first created?

conceptual design

Hernandez suggests which of the following guidelines when naming Tables.  (choose all that apply)

 

Use a name that is unambiguous in identifying the subject.

Use a name that is meaningful to the entire organization.

Use the plural form of the name.

Use a casual inconsistent naming convention.

Use the maximum number of words necessary.

Use acronyms and abbreviations.

Use a name that is unambiguous in identifying the subject.

Use a name that is meaningful to the entire organization.

Use the plural form of the name.

If companies and people are one-to-many related by the relationship "employs", which of the following MUST be true? (read the answers critically)

 

A company may have many people working for it. 

A company may only have at most one person working for it.

A company must have many people working for it.

A company may have many people working for it. 

DEPARTMENTS and COURSES Entity Types exist.

• Every course must be "offered_by" an existing department.

• A department does not necessary have to "offer" any courses.

• Every department is uniquely identified by a "department_number".

• Every course is uniquely identified by its offered by a "department_number" AND a "course_number" such that two course may have the same "course_number", like "101", but not the same "deparment_number" AND "course_number", like "547:101" and "160:101".

DEPARMENTS is a WEAK Entity.

"offered_by" is an Non-identifying relationship.

"offered_by" is an Identifying relationship.

DEPARMENTS is a Strong Entity.

COURSES is a Weak Entity.

COURSES is a Strong Entity.

"offered_by" is an Identifying relationship.

DEPARMENTS is a Strong Entity.

COURSES is a Weak Entity.

(1) A university database requires that every student must be enrolled in at least one course. What type of participation does Student have in the relationship?. Explain briefly.

(2) A school database allows teachers to exist even if they are not assigned any class. What kind of participation does Teacher have?. Explain briefly.

1. Total Participation, because a student cannot exist in the system without being enrolled in a course.

2. Partial Participation, since a teacher can exist without teaching a class.

Compare conceptual, logical, and physical data models using a real-world payroll system.

• Conceptual: Employee, Salary, Department

• Logical: Attributes, keys, relationships

• Physical: Tables, indexes, storage details

A multi-branch hospital system wants to maintain patient records that can be accessed across branches, but each branch must maintain its own doctors and appointments. Design the entities and justify where cardinality and participation constraints are required.

Entities: Patient, Branch, Doctor, Appointment

• Patient ↔ Branch: M:N (patients can visit multiple branches)

• Branch ↔ Doctor: 1:M, Total participationfor Doctor

• Doctor ↔ Appointment: 1:M, Total participation for Appointment
  This ensures shared patient data while preserving branch-level operational control.

Explain why total participation is critical in a banking transaction system. What real-world issue may occur if it is not enforced?

Total participation ensures every transaction is linked to an account. Without it, orphan transactions may occur, leading to financial discrepancies and audit failures.

Why is it dangerous to skip conceptual data modeling and directly create tables in SQL?

It results in poor scalability, hidden redundancy, and incorrect relationships, making future system expansion costly and error-prone.

Scenario: During the "Maintenance" phase of the SDLC, you notice queries are slowing down as the record count hits 10 million.

Question: Is adding a new index refers to which of these maintenance task?

Perfective

Adaptive

Corrective

None of the above

It is Perfective Maintenance. You are not fixing a bug (Corrective) or adapting to a new OS (Adaptive); you are improving the performance and maintainability of the existing system.

Scenario: A University database: A Department must have at least one Professor to exist, but a Professor does not necessarily have to be assigned to a Department (e.g., guest lecturers).

Question: Define the Minimum Cardinality and Participation for both sides.

Department to Professor: Minimum Cardinality = 1 (Mandatory Participation).

Professor to Department: Minimum Cardinality = 0 (Optional Participation).