Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-1

Chapter 7 Managing Data Resources

True-False Questions
1. The benefits of a DBMS are immediately tangible. Answer: False 2. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. !"

Excellent hardware and software will result in inefficient information systems if file management is poor. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. !"

! record describes an entity. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. !#

".

#n traditional file processing$ each functional area$ by de%eloping its own speciali&ed applications$ contributes to data redundancy and wastes resources. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !&

'.

! traditional file processing system cannot deli%er ad hoc reports in a timely fashion. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !7

(.

! DBMS eliminates most of the data definition statements found in traditional programs. Answer: True Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. !(

).

! data manipulation language is usually used to replace con%entional third* and fourth* generation programming languages to manipulate the data in the database. Answer: False Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. !)

+.

More ad%anced data dictionaries are acti%e in that related programs can automatically use changes in the dictionary. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,.

The most popular type of DBMS today for -.s is the networ/ DBMS. Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "*

10.

The strength of the relational model is that it can relate data in two files if the files share a common data element. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "*

11.

The pro1ect operation creates a subset consisting of columns in a table. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "+

7-2

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

12.

The hierarchical model DBMS is a later %ersion of the relational model DBMS. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "!

1 .

2ierarchical structures are limited in that each child may ha%e only one parent. Answer: True Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "!

1".

#BM3s #MS is a reliable hierarchical system still in use by many ban/s. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ""

1'.

.on%entional DBMS can easily handle graphics*based and multimedia applications. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ""

1(.

The two design exercises primary to the design of a database are logical and physical. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ""

1).

The entity*relationship diagram documents the physical design of the database. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "#

1+.

Most relational databases in use today ha%e become fully normali&ed o%er the time during which they ha%e been used. Answer: False Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "&

1,.

Distributed systems increase the %ulnerability of a central site. Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "7

20.

4ocal databases can create security problems by widely distributing access to sensiti%e data. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "7

21.

The intent of the data administration function is to define information re5uirements for the entire company$ with direct access to senior management. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "7

22.

The end*user is the primary ad%ocate in the organi&ation for database systems. Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "7

2 .

The fundamental principle of data administration is to define ownership of data by the area that produces them. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "(

2".

The purpose of enterprise analysis is to identify the /ey entities$ attributes$ and relationships that constitute the organi&ation3s data. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "(

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-3

2'.

! database ser%es the same community of users as traditional systems. Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "(

2(.

64!- is another term for multidimensional data analysis. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ")

2).

7ith traditional systems$ what is immediately a%ailable is current data only. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ")

2+.

The primary ad%antage of a data warehouse is that anyone can access and update the data stored in the data warehouse. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

2,.

! ma1or ad%antage to data warehousing is that /ey operational data is a%ailable in a consistent$ reliable$ accessible format. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

0.

! data mart is a subset of a hierarchical system. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

1.

Too many data marts create complexity$ costs$ and management problems. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

2.

Datamining helps companies engage in target mar/eting. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #+

Datamining poses challenges to the protection of indi%idual pri%acy. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. #+

".

2ypermedia databases store chun/s of multimedia information in the form of nodes connected by lin/s the user specifies. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #!

'.

7ith the hypermedia database approach$ the relationship between records is less structured than in a traditional DBMS. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #!

(.

The hypermedia database approach enables users to access topics on a 7eb site in whate%er order they wish. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. #!

).

4egacy databases can be lin/ed to the 7eb %ia middleware and other software products. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #"

7-4

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

+.

The software between the 7eb ser%er and the DBMS must always be an application ser%er. Answer: False Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. #"

,.

#t costs more to add a 7eb interface in front of a legacy system than it does to redesign and rebuild the system to impro%e user access. Answer: False Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ##

"0.

!n ad%antage to using the 7eb to access an organi&ation3s internal databases is that the 7eb interface re5uires no changes to the internal database. Answer: True Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ##

Multiple- Choice Questions

"1. #mplementing a database re5uires widespread organi&ational change in8 a. b. c. d. e. the role of information. the allocation of power at senior management le%els. the ownership and sharing of information. patterns of organi&ational agreement. !ll of the abo%e Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !"

Answer: e "2.

The costs of mo%ing to a database en%ironment are8 a. b. c. d. e. tangible$ low$ and bac/*loaded. intangible$ bac/*loaded$ and long*term. short*term$ expensi%e$ and intangible. tangible$ up front$ and large in the short term. up front$ intangible$ and expensi%e. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !"

Answer: $ " .

The benefits of mo%ing to a database en%ironment are8 a. b. c. d. e. tangible$ low$ and bac/*loaded. bac/*loaded$ expensi%e$ and short term. intangible$ bac/*loaded$ and long term. short term$ expensi%e$ and intangible. up front$ intangible$ and inexpensi%e. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !"

Answer: c "".

!n effecti%e information system pro%ides users with8 a. inexpensi%e information. b. timely$ accurate$ and rele%ant information. c. e%erything they need to ma/e decisions.

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-5

d. many reports from different angles. e. an enterprise system. Answer: , "'. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !"

Many organi&ations ha%e inefficient information systems because of8 a. b. c. d. e. poor file management. management interference in M#S. lac/ of cooperation between staff and line departments. outdated computers and bad information. poorly*paid personnel. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. !"

Answer: a "(.

The data hierarchy goes from bits and bytes to8 a. b. c. d. e. entities$ attributes$ fields$ and records. fields$ attributes$ entities$ and records. fields$ records$ files$ and databases. records$ entities$ fields$ and databases. attributes$ entities$ records$ and tuples. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !#

Answer: c ").

! characteristic or 5uality describing an entity is called a9n:8 a. b. c. d. e. field. tuple. /ey field. attribute. record. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !#

Answer: $ "+.

Duplicate data in multiple data files is8 a. b. c. d. e. data redundancy. data multiplication. always necessary in networ/ed databases. typical of the relational model. a characteristic of a hierarchy. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. !7

Answer: a ",.

#n a traditional file en%ironment$ any change in data re5uires8 a. b. c. d. e. a different entity description. a change in all programs that access the data. management appro%al. data redundancy. a different data dictionary. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !7

Answer: , '0.

The DBMS acts as an interface between application programs and8

7-6

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

a. b. c. d. e.

the user. the reporting facility. the logical design of the database. the physical data files. ;one of the abo%e Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !(

Answer: $ '1.

The logical description of the entire database showing all the data elements and relationships among them best describes8 a. b. c. d. e. data definition language. data dictionary. physical schema. conceptual schema. subschema. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !(

Answer: $ '2.

The specific set of data from the database that is re5uired by each user or application program best describes8 a. b. c. d. e. data definition language. data dictionary. physical schema. conceptual schema. subschema. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

Answer: e ' . S<4 is8 a. b. c. d. e.

a first*generation language. the standard data manipulation language for relational DBMS. the 5uery language used for networ/ed databases. ne%er used for reports. a natural language approach to gathering information from databases. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

Answer: , '". Many data dictionaries can8 a. b. c. d. e.

be used with a third* or fourth*generation programming language. set up the forms re5uired by applications programs. be substituted for the data manipulation language. produce lists and reports of data use$ program locations$ etc. !ll of the abo%e Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. !)

Answer: $ ''. ! relational DBMS model8

a. combines the hierarchical model and the networ/ model. b. treats data as if they were stored in two*dimensional tables. c. ma/es reports more difficult to program.

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-7

d. shares common data elements with application programs. e. !ll of the abo%e Answer: , '(. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "*

The three basic operations used to de%elop useful sets of data in a relational database are8 a. b. c. d. e. sort$ select$ and report. combine$ relate$ and sort. select$ pro1ect$ and 1oin. pro1ect$ combine$ and report. 1oin$ relate$ and sort. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "+

Answer: c '). The hierarchical DBMS8 a. b. c. d. e.

presents data to users in a treeli/e structure. allows one parent for each child. organi&es data elements into segments. allows many children to one parent. !ll of the abo%e Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "!

Answer: e '+.

2ierarchical DBMS can still be found in8 a. b. c. d. e. older$ less flexible management en%ironments that do not understand modern media. large legacy systems that re5uire intensi%e high*%olume transaction processing. small new companies that do not need relational DBMS. ob1ect*oriented en%ironments. companies using low*le%el programming languages. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ""

Answer: , ',.

The conceptual design of a database is8 a. b. c. d. e. more important than the physical design. an abstract model of the database from the business perspecti%e. easier for a programmer to understand than the logical design. the actual arrangement of data on direct access storage de%ices. an easy*to*change data model. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. ""

Answer: , (0.

! methodology for documenting databases illustrating the relationship between %arious entities in the database best describes8 a. b. c. d. e. data flow diagram. state transition diagram. entity*relationship diagram. entity se5uence diagram. ob1ect model. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "#

Answer: c

7-8

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

(1.

Database designers document the conceptual data model with8 a. b. c. d. e. normali&ation diagrams. an entity*relationship diagram. a distributed*hierarchical diagram. an entity*attributes diagram. a database model. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "#

Answer: , (2.

To use a relational database model effecti%ely8 a. b. c. d. e. three*dimensional models must be created. there must be a minimum of four relationships. flat files must be eliminated. complex groupings of data must be streamlined. !ll of the abo%e Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "#

Answer: $ ( .

#f a database has been carefully considered$ with a clear understanding of business information needs and uses8 a. b. c. d. e. relationships arrange themsel%es. the database model will most li/ely be in some normali&ed form. each part will ha%e only one supplier. repeating groups will occur. all the attributes will be listed first. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "&

Answer: , (". ! distributed database8 a. b. c. d. e.

can pose security problems. does not need to be updated often. is updated continuously at the central location. is on one client=ser%er networ/. is usually in a small geographic area$ such as a uni%ersity. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "7

Answer: a ('. Distributed systems8 a. b. c. d. e.

often can run on smaller$ less expensi%e computers. increase ser%ice and responsi%eness to local users. depend on high*5uality telecommunication lines. pose security problems by widely distributing access to sensiti%e data. !ll of the abo%e Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "7

Answer: e ((.

The organi&ational interests ser%ed by the DBMS are >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than those in the traditional file en%ironment. a. narrower

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-9

b. c. d. e.

easier to control easier to understand much broader less secure Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "(

Answer: $ (). Enterprise analysis8 a. b. c. d. e.

is needed to de%elop databases. must be underta/en before the firm does business on the #nternet. is not pertinent to database design and de%elopment. sets out specific procedures and accountabilities. is usually a security issue. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "(

Answer: a (+.

?elational systems with fourth*generation 5uery languages8 a. b. c. d. e. are outdated today. permit employees who are not computer specialists to access large databases. re5uire extensi%e employee training before they can be accessed. are not useful to #nternet companies. are not yet a%ailable to most businesses. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "(

Answer: , (,. Multidimensional analysis8 a. b. c. d. e.

enables users to %iew the same data in different ways using multiple dimensions. uses current data only. plots data on a %ariable line. is not good for historical data. is best used in larger companies. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "(

Answer: a )0. @nder traditional data systems8 a. b. c. d. e.

the #S department maintains tight control of all data and its distribution. data are easier to locate$ but harder to /eep secure. data are fragmented in separate operational systems. data are harder to locate$ but easier to /eep secure. ;one of the abo%e Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. ")

Answer: c )1. 64!- stands for8 a. b. c. d. e.

ob1ect*oriented layered application programming. ob1ect*relational legacy attributes placement. ob1ecti%e layered attributes processing. online legacy application placement. online analytical processing. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ")

Answer: e

7-10

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

)2.

Data warehousing uses data from8 a. b. c. d. e. daily reports only. di%erse applications and locations. di%erse applications$ but one location. many locations$ but one application. primarily go%ernment locations. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

Answer: , ) . Datamining8 a. b. c. d. e.

cannot predict li/ely future beha%ior. finds hidden patterns and relationships in large pools of data. is illegal. is not accurate for small companies. loo/s only at broad areas$ not detail. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. #+

Answer: , )".

#ndi%idual pri%acy can be threatened by8 a. b. c. d. e. older legacy systems. datamining. multidimensional modeling. data administration. database administration. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. #+

Answer: , )'. .A#8

a. stands for .onsumer Araphic #nterface. b. is a specification for transferring information between a 7eb ser%er and a program designed to accept and return data. c. is a corporate approach to data warehousing. d. is a search engine written using -E?4. e. is always Ba%a*based. Answer: , )(. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #"

The ma1or enterprise system %endors ha%e enhanced their software so that users8 a. b. c. d. e. do not need to deal with pri%acy issues. organi&e data along traditional product lines. can ma/e use of large public databases. can integrate different platforms in their information interface. can access enterprise data through a 7eb interface. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ##

Answer: e )).

The principal types of DBMS today are8 a. hierarchical and legacy. b. legacy and ob1ect*oriented.

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-11

c. relational and legacy. d. relational and ob1ect*oriented. e. hierarchical and relational. Answer: $ )+. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #7

The organi&ation3s data model should reflect8 a. b. c. d. e. its /ey business processes and decision*ma/ing re5uirements. its concern with security. management understanding of data processing. its connection to legacy systems. social awareness. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #7

Answer: a

7-12

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

Fill -n the .lan/s

79. !9n: field is a grouping of characters into a word$ a group of words$ or a complete number. Difficulty: Easy +0. !9n: record is a group of related fields. Difficulty: Easy +1. !9n: file is a group of records of the same type. Difficulty: Easy +2. !9n: database is a group of related files. Difficulty: Easy + . Reference: p. !# Reference: p. !# Reference: p. !# Reference: p. !#

!9n: entity is a person$ place$ thing$ or e%ent about which information must be /ept. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !#

+".

!9n: attribute is a piece of information describing a particular entity. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !#

+'.

!9n: key field is the field in a record that uni5uely identifies instances of that record so that it can be retrie%ed$ updated$ or sorted. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. !#

+(.

Data redundancy is the presence of duplicate data in multiple data files. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !#

+).

The close relationship between data stored in files and the software programs that update and maintain those data is called program data dependence. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. !7

++.

!9n: database$ by rigorous definition$ is a collection of data organi&ed to ser%ice many applications at the same time by storing and managing data so that they appear to be in one location. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !(

+,.

!9n: database management system (DBMS) is special software to create and maintain a database and enable indi%idual business applications to extract the data they need without ha%ing to create separate files or data definitions in their computer programs. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !(

,0.

The logical view presents data as they would be percei%ed by end users or business specialists.

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-13

Difficulty: Me$iu% ,1.

Reference: p. !(

The physical view shows how data are actually organi&ed and structured on physical storage media. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !(

,2.

! subschema is the specific set of data from the database that is re5uired by each user or application program. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

, .

!9n: data element is a field. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,".

!9n: data definition language is the component of a database management system that defines each data element as it appears in the database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,'.

!9n: data manipulation language is the language associated with a database management system that end users and programmers use to manipulate data in the database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,(.

The standard data manipulation language for relational database management systems is SQ (Structured Query anguage). Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,).

!9n: data dictionary is an automated or manual tool for storing and organi&ing information about the data maintained in a database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. !)

,+.

!9n: relational DBMS is a type of logical database model that treats data as if they were stored in two*dimensional tables. #t can associate data stored in one table to data in another as long as the two tables share a common data element. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "*

,,.

!9n: tuple is a row or record in a relational database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "*

100. The select operation creates a subset consisting of all records in the file that meet stated criteria. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "+

101. The !oin operation combines relational tables to pro%ide the user with more information than is a%ailable in the indi%idual tables. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "+

7-14

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

102. The pro!ect operation creates a subset consisting of columns in a table$ permitting the user to create new tables that contain only the information re5uired. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "+

10 . !9n: hierarchical DBMS is an older logical database model that organi&es data in a treeli/e structure. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "!

10". !9n: network DBMS is an older logical database model that is useful for depicting many*to* many relationships. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "!

10'. !9n: ob!ect"oriented DBMS is an approach to data management that stores both data and the procedures acting on the data as ob1ects that can be automatically retrie%ed and shared. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. ""

10(. !9n: ob!ect"relational DBMS is a database management system that combines the capabilities of a relational DBMS for storing traditional information and the capabilities of an ob1ect*oriented DBMS. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. ""

10). !9n: entity"relationship diagram is a methodology for documenting databases illustrating the relationship between %arious entities in the database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "#

10+. #ormali$ation is the process of creating small$ stable$ and adapti%e data structures from complex groups of data when designing a relational database. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "#

10,. !9n: distributed database is a database that is stored in more than one physical location. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "&

110. Data administration is a special organi&ational function for managing the organi&ation3s data resourcesC it is concerned with information policy$ data planning$ maintenance of data dictionaries$ and data 5uality standards. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. "7

111. !9n: information policy is the set of formal rules go%erning the maintenance$ distribution$ and use of information in an organi&ation. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. "(

112. Database administration refers to the more technical and operational aspects of managing data$ including physical database design and maintenance. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. "(

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-15

11 . The capability for manipulating and analy&ing large %olumes of data from multiple perspecti%es is called on"line analytical processing (% &'). Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. ")

11". !9n: data warehouse is a database with reporting and 5uery tools that stores current and historical data extracted from %arious operational systems and consolidated for management reporting and analysis. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

11'. !9n: data mart is a small data warehouse containing only a portion of the organi&ation3s data for a specified function or population of users. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #*

11(. Datamining is the analysis of large pools of data to find patterns and rules that can be used to guide decision ma/ing and predict future beha%ior. Difficulty: Me$iu% Reference: p. #+

11). !9n: hypermedia database is an approach to data management that organi&es data as a networ/ of nodes lin/ed in any pattern the user specifiesC the nodes can contain text$ graphics$ sound$ full*motion %ideo$ or executable programs. Difficulty: 'ar$ Reference: p. #!

11+. !9n: database server is a computer in a client=ser%er en%ironment that is responsible for running a DBMS to process S<4 statements and perform database management tas/s. Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. #"

Essay Questions
119. Discuss the issue of organi0ational change1 especially changes in power arrange%ents1 which can occur when an organi0ation institutes an organi0ation-wi$e D.M2. #mplementing a database re5uires widespread organi&ational change in the role of information 9and information managers:$ the allocation of power at senior le%els$ the ownership and sharing of information$ and patterns of organi&ational agreement. ! DBMS challenges the existing power arrangements in an organi&ation and for that reason often generates political resistance. #n a traditional file en%ironment$ each department constructed files and programs to fulfill its specific needs. ;ow$ with a database$ files and programs must be built that ta/e into account the full organi&ation3s interest in data. !lthough the organi&ation has spent the money on hardware and software for a database en%ironment$ it may not reap the benefits it should because it is unwilling to ma/e the re5uisite organi&ational changes. 120. Discuss the hierarchical organi0ation of $ata in a typical $ata,ase. ! bit is a one 91: or a &ero 90:$ the smallest unit of data a computer can handle. Eight bits compose a byte$ which normally stands for one character or letter. .haracters ma/e up

7-16

Managing Data Resources

Chapter 7

fields$ which are named groupings of characters. ! group of related fields creates a record$ each of which describes one entity. ! group of related records composes a file. Aroups of related files compose a database. Each record must contain one field$ called the /ey$ which uni5uely identifies that particular entity in the file. 4in/ing fields that occur in both files through the /ey field of one of the files to the same field data in the second file can relate entities file*to*file. 121. -$entify four pro,le%s en$e%ic to the tra$itional file en3iron%ent. #f each branch of the organi&ation designs$ manages$ and /eeps its own information$ the problems of data redundancy$ program*data dependence$ inflexibility$ poor data security$ and inability to share data among applications will become apparent$ and worsen$ with time. 122. 'ow $oes the $ata,ase approach to $ata %anage%ent increase the efficiency an$ effecti3eness of an organi0ation4 The DBMS 9database management system: uses special software to create and maintain a central database a%ailable to e%eryone in the organi&ation. This enables indi%idual business applications to extract the data they need without ha%ing to create separate files or data definitions. The data are more secure because they are held in one place$ more consistent and accurate because the same data are not /ept in many separate files 9each of which must be updated accurately when the data changes:$ and more flexible because the DBMS supports ad hoc in5uiries. 12 . 5hat is %eant ,y the ter% 6nor%ali0ation74 5hy are so%e effecti3e D.M2 syste%s not co%pletely nor%ali0e$4 To use a relational database model effecti%ely$ complex groupings of data must be streamlined to eliminate redundant data elements and aw/ward many*to*many relationships. The process of creating small$ stable data structures from complex groups of data is called Dnormali&ationE. The ob1ecti%e is to set the data files up so that each item of data re5uired by the DBMS need be entered only once$ then pulled for multiple reports as re5uired by the %arious applications. Many real*world databases are not fully normali&ed because this may not be the most sensible way to meet their business information re5uirements. #n a case where each single part is always ordered from the same manufacturer$ and each manufacturer is responsible only for the one part it pro%ides$ fully normali&ing the database would re5uire two separate filesFone for the parts$ another for the manufacturer G which in this case would not be efficient. 12". Define each of the following pairs of ter%s1 $istinguishing ,etween the %e%,ers of each pair. 8ogical 3iew an$ physical 3iew9 $ata $efinition language an$ $ata %anipulation language9 $ata $ictionary an$ $ata ele%ent. The logical %iew of the database is the representation of data$ as they would appear to an application programmer or end user. The physical %iew of the data is the representation of data$ as they would actually be placed on the physical storage media. The data definition language is that component of a database management system that defines each data element as it appears in the database. The data manipulation language is the language associated with a DBMS that end users and programmers use to 5uery the data in the database. S<4 is the standard for relational DBMS. The data dictionary is an automated or manual file that stores the descriptions of data elements and their characteristics$ such as usage$ physical representation$ ownership$ authori&ation$ and security. ! data element represents the field itself$ with its name$ the names that reference this element in specific systems. The indi%iduals$ business functions$

Chapter 7

Managing Data Resources

7-17

programs$ and reports that use this data element are also identified. 12'. Descri,e the three ,asic operations of the relational $ata,ase. The three basic operations are select$ 1oin$ and pro1ect. The select operation creates a subset consisting of all records in the file that meet stated criteria. The pro1ect operation creates a subset consisting of columns in a table$ permitting the user to create new tables that contain only the information re5uired. The 1oin operation combines relational tables to pro%ide the user with more information than is a%ailable in the indi%idual tables. 12(. 8ist an$ $escri,e the four critical ele%ents in a $ata,ase en3iron%ent. The textboo/ identifies data administration$ data planning and modeling methodology$ database technology and management$ and users as the four critical elements. Data administration is the special organi&ational function for managing the organi&ation3s data resourcesC it is concerned with information policy$ data planning$ maintenance of data dictionaries$ and data 5uality standards. Data planning and modeling methodology is the use of enterprise analysis to identify and address the information re5uirements of the entire organi&ation$ as opposed to the re5uirements of indi%idual applications. Enterprise analysis identifies the /ey entities$ attributes$ and relationships that constitute the organi&ation3s data. Database technology and management refers to the decisions and processes in%ol%ed in the purchase of hardware and software and the identification of those in management who are responsible for specific areas of data gathering$ maintenance$ and reporting. @sers are the indi%iduals who actually manipulate the data gathered$ creating and distributing the necessary reports. 12). Define an$ $escri,e :8A; an$ its potential uses. 6nline analytical processing pro%ides powerful tools for the manipulation and analysis of large %olumes of data from multiple perspecti%es or dimensions. #t pro%ides analyses that traditional database models cannot represent$ such as the ability to compare and manipulate product$ pricing$ cost$ region$ or time period$ each in relationship to any one of the others. These data %iews can become %ery complex$ with one set nested within another. Senior management can use such %iews in planning long*range changes in the organi&ation. 12+. Define an$ $escri,e $ata warehouses1 $ata %arts1 an$ $ata%ining. 5hat is the %a<or concern connecte$ with the use of these tools4 Data warehouses are huge databases that store current and historical data extracted from %arious operational systems and consolidated for management reporting and analysis. ! data mart is a small data warehouse containing only a portion of the organi&ation3s data for a specified function or population of users. Datamining is the manipulation and analysis of large pools of data to find patterns and rules that can be used to guide decision ma/ing and predict future beha%ior. The ma1or concern connected with the use of these tools in%ol%es pri%acy concernsFshould companies be allowed to collect such detailed information about indi%iduals and their beha%iorH