...Database program Vs. Spreadsheet program When choosing which type of program you should use to manage your customer records, you need to know what the difference is between the two. Spreadsheets are designed to analyze data and sort list items, not for long-term storage of raw data. A spreadsheet should be used for ‘crunching’ numbers and storage of single list items. Spreadsheet programs provide the means for keeping inventory, statistical data modeling, and computing data. They also include graphing functions that allow for quick reporting and analysis of data. Spreadsheet programs are relatively easy to use, require little training to get started, and have the advantage that most data mangers are somewhat familiar with them. The disadvantages of spreadsheets include having to re-copy data over and over again to maintain it in separate data files, the inability to efficiently identify data errors, the lack of detailed sorting and querying abilities, and sharing violations among users wishing to view or change data at the same time. Additionally, spreadsheets are restricted to a finite number of records, and can require a large amount of hard-drive space for data storage. Databases require little or no duplication of data between information tables, and changes made to the data do not corrupt the programming. Databases offer better security to restrict users from accessing privileged information, and from changing coded information in the programming. Furthermore, the two...
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...CHAPTER 1 – The Database Environment Database – organized collection of logically related data Data – stored representations of meaningful objects and events Structured – numbers, text, dates Unstructured – images, video, documents Information – data processed to increase knowledge in the person using the data Metadata – data that describes the properties and context of user data Disadvantages of File Processing Program-Data Dependence - All programs maintain metadata for each file they use Duplication of Data - Different systems/programs have separate copies of the same data Limited Data Sharing - No centralized control of data Lengthy Development Times - Programmers must design their own file formats Excessive Program Maintenance - 80% of information systems budget Problems with Data Dependency - Each application programmer must maintain his/her own data - Each application program needs to include code for the metadata of each file - Each application program must have its own processing routines for reading, inserting, updating, and deleting data - Lack of coordination and central control - Non-standard file formats Problems with Data Redundancy - Waste of space to have duplicate data - Causes more maintenance headaches The biggest problem: - Data changes in one file could cause inconsistencies - Compromises in data integrity SOLUTION: The DATABASE Approach - Central repository of shared data - Data is managed by a controlling agent ...
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...Database Management System is a System Software or an Application Software System Software: System software is computer software or an operating system designed to operate and control the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software. Actually, system software is any computer software which manages and controls computer hardware so that application software can perform a task. Operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, are prominent examples of system software. System software is not meant to be run by the end user. For example, while you might use your Web browser every day, you probably don't have much use for an assembler program. System software runs at the most basic level of your computer. Application Software: Application software, also known as an application or an app, is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software. Application software applies the power of particular system software to a particular purpose. Applications software (also called end-user programs) includes database programs, word processors, and spreadsheets. Applications software sits on top of systems software because it is unable to run without the operating system and system utilities. Example of system software and application software given in a chart: Database Management System(DBMS): A database management system (DBMS)...
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...file environment and how are they solved by a database management system? List and describe each of the components in the data hierarchy. Figure 6–1 shows the data hierarchy. The data hierarchy includes bits, bytes, fields, records, files, and databases. Data are organized in a hierarchy that starts with the bit, which is represented by either a 0 (off) or a 1 (on). Bits can be grouped to form a byte to represent one character, number, or symbol. Bytes can be grouped to form a field, such as a name or date, and related fields can be grouped to form a record. Related records can be collected to form files, and related files can be organized into a database. Define and explain the significance of entities, attributes, and key fields. • Entity is a person, place, thing, or event on which information can be obtained. • Attribute is a piece of information describing a particular entity. • Key field is a field in a record that uniquely identifies instances of that unique record so that it can be retrieved, updated, or sorted. For example, a person’s name cannot be a key because there can be another person with the same name, whereas a social security number is unique. Also a product name may not be unique but a product number can be designed to be unique. List and describe the problems of the traditional file environment. Problems with the traditional file environment include data redundancy and confusion, program-data dependence, lack of flexibility, poor security...
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...association between entities. One to many relationships is when one entity associates with many other entities but many entities associate with just one. 5. Database is a structure that can store information about multiple types of entities the attributes of those entities, and the relationship between the entities. 6. Using common columns in the two tables creates it. 7. Visual way to represent a database. 8. Program, collection of programs through which users interacts with a database. 9. Determine the structure of the required database. 10. Screen objects used to maintain, view, and print data from a database. 11. The DBMS ask questions about desired content and appearance of each report and then creates the report automatically based on the answer. 12. Data of various users can be combined and shared among authorized users, allowing all users to access greater pool of data. 13. A person or group to be in charge of the database. 14. With the database approach, changing a customer’s address means making on change instead of multiple changes, keeping the consistency. 15. A rule that data must follow in the database 16. Prevention of unauthorized access to the database. 17. Property that let you change the structure of a database without requiring you to change the programs. This prevents them from expending a great deal of effort to update. 18. Occupy a...
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...The Getty Provenance Institute’s database (The Gettys research institute, 2012) contains 1.1 million records. All of these records can be used for a wide variety of research. According to the institute the database can be used for assistance in finding information for Projects, and for the Study of Collecting. According to the Database, “The J. Paul Getty Museum acquired The Entombment (ca. 1612) by Peter Paul Rubens in a Christie's sale in 1992. At that time, the provenance of the painting could only be traced as far back as the mid-19th century. The number 146, located on the face of the painting, appeared to be an inventory number (the Getty Research Institute, 2012). A search in the Provenance Index's Archival Inventories database retrieved a single record in which the artist name (Rubens) and item number (146) matched. The search lead to a 1651 inventory preserved in the Archivo de la Casa de Alba, Palacio de Liria in Madrid, which lists this Rubens painting. Possibly its first owner was Gaspar de Haro y Guzmán Carpio (1629–1687)”. Other Institutions are not as lucky some. Some Museums are not so fortunate to find the item number associated with the picture. When it is time to introduce the collections into a database, curators of small museums find themselves in a little bit of trouble. The features and capabilities offered by the newer commercial and professional collection systems are more than they will ever need, more than they can support and more than they...
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...You are to enter all answers or Prtscrn requirements into this Word Document. You are not permitted to submit any other document format, e.g., Wordpad, PDFs, etc. that is not based on this original Word document. This document contains hidden internal markers and applications that will track the version of this assignment and your assignment progress. You MUST submit the assignments using the Word document(s) provided you. You may not use any other word processor, except Microsoft Word. Do not use Open Office DOCX files. When an instructor has possession of an electronic document it is very easy to detect plagiarism. Many instructors use Turnitin assignments, which is applicable to assignments that permit cut-and-paste as this assignment. It is very easy to compare multiple copies of word documents (see link below). Microsoft provides a variety of FREE anti-plagiarizing tools. And there is a wide variety of tools that can analyze hidden information within a Word document (see sample link below). Changing fonts, margins and spacing does not do it anymore. Even when individuals try to artificially change content, a Word document contains hidden markers that may provide an audit trail to find previous authors and computer systems who have edited the document. Comparing and merging Microsoft Word documents - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306484 Compare documents side by side - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/compare-documents-side-by-side-HA010102251...
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...20. Composite keys: In database design, a compound key is a key that consists of 2 or more attributes that uniquely identify an entity occurrence. Each attribute that makes up the compound key is a simple key in its own right. Crow’s feet notation: A type of notation for entity relationships in entity relation diagrams that depicts the many side of a relationship with a three-pronged end called a “crows foot.” This type of notation provides more information about the cardinality of a relationship than the arrow notation for relationships. Domain entities: Those database entities that relate directly to the business problem under consideration. Entity relation diagrams: A diagram that shows entities, their attributes, and the relationships among them. Linking entity: An entity used to resolve a many-to-many relationship into two one-to-many relationships. Logical entity: The design of a database without regard to the physical implementation of the database. Lookup entity: An entity used to store lookup values such as state names or zip codes. Maximum cardinality: The maximum number of instances of one entity that may be associated with each instance of another entity. Minimum cardinality: The minimum number of instances of one entity that may be associated with each instance of another entity. Naming conventions: Conventions for naming database objects in order to maintain consistency and readability. Physical design: The design of the database...
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...Personal experience with Microsoft Excel Randall W. Broyles Trident University International From being designed primarily for personal productivity, Microsoft Excel is inherently a personal productivity database meant for individual and the small business. While enterprise database management applications and platforms are meant for much greater and wide-spread use across organizations. Microsoft Excel has progressed from a relative simple calculation program to a more advanced database application through the use of Microsoft Visual Basic and other programming languages that have been integrated into the baseline application. Microsoft Excel has many wonderful features to offer the small business and personal user. Excel is the most widely known for its spreadsheet function, though it has numerous other uses. Spreadsheets are useful to any type of circumstances. For example, a spreadsheet can be used as a personal checkbook, or a professor’s grade book. Invoices and budgets can be prepared with Excel as well. Excel is extremely useful in the decision making process and the Goal Seek command can even be used to return specific results that you are looking for. Another popular function of Excel is the ability to prepare and maintain to produce results that meet a specific criteria. For instance, a certain stock broker might use these commands to return a list of customers who have sold certain stocks over the past two years or more. Lists created in Excel can be...
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...fully relational database Note that based on these rules there is no fully relational database management system available today. In particular, rules 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are difficult to satisfy. 1. Information Rule All information in the database should be represented in one and only one way - as values in a table. 2. Guaranteed Access Rule All data should be accessible without ambiguity. This can be accomplished through the combination of table name, primary key value and column name. 3. Systematic Treatment of Null Values Null values (distinct from empty character string or a string of blank characters and distinct from zero or any other number) are supported in the fully relational DBMS for representing missing information in a systematic way, independent of data type. 4. Dynamic On-line Catalog Based on the Relational Model The database description is represented at the logical level in the same way as ordinary data, so authorized users can apply the same relational language to its interrogation as they apply to regular data. 5. Comprehensive Data Sublanguage Rule A relational system may support several languages and various modes of terminal use. However, there must be at least one language whose statements are expressible, per some well-defined syntax, as character strings and whose ability to support all of the following is comprehensible: a. data definition b. view definition c. data manipulation (interactive and by program) d. integrity constraints ...
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...beneficial to switch to a more relational database like Microsoft Access. In turn, this will help improve internal communication and help streamline some of the work processes for the sales department. Currently the Party Plates Company uses Microsoft Excel to track personnel data in a spreadsheet inputting small amounts of repetitious data each time a record is created. Although Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access offer some of the same tools such as applying filters, sorting table data, and extracting information, Microsoft Access a relational database, has features to track actions and events in multiple related tables. It offers more built in tools better to organize, track, and to make a relational structure between the tables by using a common field for the purpose of creating queries, forms, and reports large amounts of data than Microsoft Excel. The Party Plates Company would benefit from the use of converting their personnel data from single Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into a relational database, such as Microsoft Access (2012 Microsoft Corporation). There are many benefits that Party Plates would get from using Microsoft Access. The cost is reasonable to the other databases available; this system permits customization of databases making it possible to manage other functions together in the same area and not have to use more than one database. Microsoft Access prevents the duplication of the same information entered into the database. This will help save time entering...
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...meet the problems or opportunities of the business. 1) ___A. database analysis____ A) Database analysts B) Users C) Systems analysts D) Programmers TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false. 2) Database development projects are never done in a bottom-up fashion. 2) __False_ 3) A well-structured database establishes the entities between relationships in order to derive the desired information. 3) _False_ ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper. 4) Provide a brief overview of the various components of the database environment. TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false. 5) Database processing programs are coded and tested during the design stage of the systems development life cycle. 5) __F__ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 6) Organizing the database in computer disk storage is done in the ________ phase. 6) _Design__ A) analysis B) design C) implementation D) maintenance 7) A workgroup database is stored on a central device called a(n): 7) __c. server_____ A) client. B) network. C) server. D) remote PC. TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false. 8) Many of the disadvantages of file processing systems can also be limitations of databases. 8) ___T____ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that...
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...Chapter 6 FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Learning Objectives • Describe how the problems of managing data resources in a traditional file environment are solved by a database management system • Describe the capabilities and value of a database management system • Apply important database design principles • Evaluate tools and technologies for accessing information from databases to improve business performance and decision making • Assess the role of information policy, data administration, and data quality assurance in the management of a firm’s data resources 2 © Pearson Education 2012 Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Organizing Data in a Traditional File Environment • File organization concepts – – – – Database: Group of related files File: Group of records of same type Record: Group of related fields Field: Group of characters as word(s) or number • Describes an entity (person, place, thing on which we store information) • Attribute: Each characteristic, or quality, describing entity – E.g., Attributes Date or Grade belong to entity COURSE 3 © Pearson Education 2012 Management Information Systems CHAPTER 6: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: DATABASES AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Organizing Data in...
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...is set to double every two years 3. Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the three primary components thereof – the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logical, control & input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions. Runs programs. Three primary components are the: 1. Main Memory- (aka RAM/ physical storage) constructed from integrated circuits and needs to have electrical power in order to maintain its formation. When power is lost, so is the information. Made up electronic circuits > 2 state situation ON/OFF, High voltage/ low voltage, negatively charged/ positively charged. *PHYSICAL – reality *LOGICAL – a model; not the truth 2. Control Unit- extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them calling on the ALU when necessary 3. Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) - performs arithmetic and logical operations 4. Von Neumann Architecture – computer architecture consisting of the 3 CPU components. (1945 mathematician & physicist) 5. Execution Cycles/ Instruction Cycles – how the control unit works. Measures the speed of the control unit. A process by which the computer retrieves a program instruction from its main memory, determines what actions the instruction requires, and carries out those actions through 3 steps 1. Fetch; 2. Decode; 3. Execute 6. Fetch, Decode, Execute: Know purpose...
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...Determining Databases and Data Communications Lucinda Degarmo BIS/320 November 02, 2015 Karl Jaufmann | Scenario 1 As the marketing assistant, I would definitely have to use a program that would track ordering, delivery and losses of any equipment used. The typical fields that would be needed for such database would be the following: Event Name, Event Date, Name of equipment/display, Serial Number, Date ordered, Date shipped, Date delivered, Date packed, Date shipped, Date received, Loss remarks. The first tracking relationships would be of course the Event Name, Event date and Name of equipment, Date ordered. By tracking these fields, I would be able to figure out what types of equipment or displays to order for the event and ensure timely delivery for the event. The second tracking relationships would be the return of the equipment which would include packing date, shipping date and date received and any losses incurred. By tracking the return of the equipment, I would be sure that the equipment has been accounted for and safely returned back to the warehouse. By using a tracking program for each event, the accountability for the equipment is monitored from the day it leaves the warehouse and is returned safely back to the warehouse. A database would definitely be needed to track the inventory. Excel could handle the tracking input and output; however, since the shipping and receipt of the equipment would not be readily available another database would...
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