Database Systems Flashcards - Week 2

Workgroup database

A multiuser database that usually supports fewer than 50 users or is used for a specific department in an organization.

Enterprise database

The overall company data representation, which provides support for present and expected future needs.

Discipline-specific database

A database that contains data focused on a specific subject area.

Operational database

A database designed primarily to support a company’s day-to-day operations. Also known as a transactional database, OLTP database, or production database.

Analytical database

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

Data warehouse

An integrated, subject-oriented, time-variant, nonvolatile collection of data that provides support for decision making.

Online analytical processing (OLAP)

A set of decision support system (DSS) tools that use multidimensional data analysis techniques. OLAP creates an advanced data analysis environment that supports decision making, business modeling, and operations research.

Business intelligence

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

Semistructured data

Data that has already been processed to some extent

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

A meta-language used to represent and manipulate data elements. Unlike other markup languages, XML permits the manipulation of a document’s data elements. XML facilitates the exchange of structured documents such as orders and invoices over the Internet.

NoSQL

A new generation of database management systems that is not based on the traditional relational database model.

Database design

The process that yields the description of the database structure and determines the database components. The second phase of the database life cycle.

Data processing (DP) specialist

The person responsible for developing and managing a computerized file processing system.

Field

A character or group of characters (alphabetic or numeric) that has a specific meaning.

Record

A logically connected set of one or more fields that describes a person, place, or thing. For example, these that constitute a record for a customer might consist of the customer’s name, address, phone number, date of birth, credit limit, and unpaid balance.

File

A collection of related records. For example, this might contain data about the students currently enrolled at Gigantic University.

Structural dependence

A data characteristic in which a change in the database schema affects data access, thus requiring changes in all access programs.

Structural independence

A data characteristic in which changes in the database schema do not affect data access.

Data dependence

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

Data independence

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

Logical data format

The way a person views data within the context of a problem domain.

Physical data format

The way a computer “sees” (stores) data.

Islands of information

In the old file system environment, pools of independent, often duplicated, and inconsistent data created and managed by different departments.

Data integrity

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

Data anomaly

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

Database system

An organization of components that defines and regulates the collection, storage, management, and use of data in a database environment.

Data dictionary

A DBMS component that stores metadata—data about data. Thus, the data dictionary contains the data definition as well as their characteristics and relationships. A data dictionary may also include data that are external to the DBMS. Also known as an information resource dictionary. See also active data dictionary, metadata, and passive data dictionary.

Performance tuning

Activities that make a database perform more efficiently in terms of storage and access speed.

Query language

A nonprocedural language that is used by a DBMS to manipulate its data. An example of a query language is SQL.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

A powerful and flexible relational database language composed of commands that enable users to create database and table structures, perform various types of data manipulation and data administration, and query the database to extract useful information.

application programming interfaces (API)

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