Database Key Terms

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ANALYSIS PHASE

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Database development phase that analyzes and describes the existing or proposed system and that determines where the system fits in with the other organizational systems

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ATOMIC ATTRIBUTE

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Attribute that represents a single data item

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ATTRIBUTE

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Characteristic of an entity that a database stores

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BASIC DATA-HANDLING PROCEDURES

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Inserting, updating, deleting, and retrieving data

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BEHAVIOR

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Action and object instances

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BINARY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship that involves two entities

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BRIDGE TABLE

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Also called a Linking table.

A Table that represents a unique combination of entity instances from two related entities

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BUSINESS RULE

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Statement or practice that defines the policies and procedures an organization uses in its business processes

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CARDINALITY

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Specifies the minimum and maximum number of entity instances with which you can associate an entity instance in a relationship

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CHILD TABLE

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Table that contains a foreign key

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COMPOSITE ATTRIBUTE

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Attribute that is made of multiple atomic attributes

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COMPOSITE KEY

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Primary key made by combining multiple fields

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CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

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Database design process that transforms the data dictionary into a data model

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DATABASE

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Structures that store and organize data that organizations need to retain

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DBA

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Database administrator. Person responsible for the day-to-day operation of the database

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DATABASE APPLICATION

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Program that enables users to interact with a database

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DATABASE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

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Series of steps that define the process for defining the scope of a database system, obtaining system requirements, and then designing, implementing, and deploying the system

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DBMS

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Database management system.

Program that, among other functions, performs the basic data-handling procedures for a database

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DATABASE TUNING

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Process of adjusting DBMS parameters so a database system performs adequately under transaction loads

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DATA DICTIONARY

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Document that defines all of the data items in a system

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DATA FILE APPROACH TO DATA PROCESSING

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Nondatabase data-processing approach whereby each application maintains a separate data file

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DATA TYPE

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Specification of how a database stores data internally

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DEGREE OF RELATIONSHIP

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Specifies the number of entities that participate in the relationship

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DERIVED ATTRIBUTE

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Attribute whose value can be derived from another attribute

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DESIGN PHASE

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Phase of database development that specifies the relationships among the system data and defines the system applications

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ENTITY

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An object about which a database stores data

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ENTITY INSTANCE

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Single data item of an entity

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ER MODEL

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Entity Relationship Model.

Data model that visually expresses data in terms of entities, attributes, and relationships

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FIELD

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Column of data

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FOUR MAIN TYPES OF KEY FIELDS IN A RELATIONAL DATABASE:

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1. Primary Keys
2. surrogate keys
3. foreign keys
4. composite keys

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FOREIGN KEY

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Field that is a primary key in another table and creates a relationship between the tables

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HIERARCHICAL DATABASE STRUCTURE

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Database structure in which all related entities have one-way, parent-to-child relationships.

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HIERARCHICAL DB ISSUES:

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Since hierarchical databases use pointers to create relationships among associated data items, the data is physically dependent on its location on the storage media, making it difficult to move the db should the disk become full or new h/w purchased.

Another issue is that all data is accessed within application programs written in languages such as COBOL that contain commands to navigate through the database pointers. Changes to the db structure require rewriting these programs, which is time-consuming and expensive.

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IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

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Phase of database development that implements the database design using a specific DBMS and that deploys applications to users

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INITIAL STUDY

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Output of the database development analysis phase

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INITIATION PHASE

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Database development phase in which developers define the proposed database system and justify the problem or opportunity that the system addresses

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LINKING TABLE

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Also called bridge table.

Table that represents a unique combination of entity instances from two related entities

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LOGICAL/PHYSICAL DESIGN

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Database design process that transforms a data model into a physical database design that developers can implement

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MAINTENANCE PHASE

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Database develpment phase that extends over the life of the system and that involves tasks such as upgrading software, correcting errors, and creating new applications

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MANDATORY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship in which an entity has a minimum cardinality of one

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MANY-TO-MANY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship in which multiple instances of the first entity can be associated with multiple instances of the second entity, and multiple instance of the second entity can be associated with multiple instances of the first

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MAXIMUM CARDINALITY

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The maximum number of entity instances with which a related entity instance can be associated

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METHOD

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Program that defines an object's behavior

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MINIMUM CARDINALITY

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The minimum number of entity instances with which a related entity instance can be associated, usually a value of zero or one

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NORMALIZATION

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Transformation of the logical data design specified by the ER model into the tables that will be created within the database so the database tables do not have inconsistencies and do not store redundant data

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NULL

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Undefined data field value

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OBJECT

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Item in a database that stores both data and information about the data's behavior

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OBJECT CLASS

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A collection of similar objects; similar to an entity or table

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OBJECT INSTANCE

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A single instance of an object; similar to a record

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ORDDBMS

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Object-relational database management system.

Hybrid relational DBMS that allows developers to create objects associated with relational records

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OODBMS

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Object-oriented database management system.

Database system that manages data stored as objects

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ONE-TO-MANY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship in which one instance of the first entity can be associated with multiple instances of the second entity, but each instance of the second entity is associated with only one instance of the first entity

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ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship in which one instance of the first entity is associated with one and only one instance of the second

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OPTIONAL RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship in which an entity has a minimum cardinality of zero

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PARENT TABLE

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Table whose primary key is a foreign key in other tables

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POINTER

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Value that specifies where data is stored physically on a storage medium

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PRIMARY KEY

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Relational database table field whose value serves to uniquely identify its record

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PROJECT DESIGN

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Output of the database design process

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PROJECT PROPOSAL

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Output of the database development INITIATION PHASE

which consists of the following items:
1. Organizational objectives
2. Organizational data overview
3. Organizational structure chart
4. Problem identification and strategic rationales

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RECORD

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Individual row in a table

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REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY

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Premise that when you create a table with a foreign key, all foreign key values must exist in the parent table

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RELATIONAL DATABASE STRUCTURE

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Database structure that stores data in tables and columns

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RELATIONSHIP

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Connection between related entity instances

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RESERVED WORDS

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Commands that define database operations

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SCALABILITY TEST

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Implementation process in which developers test the database under realistic data and transaction loads

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STATE

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Values of an object's attributes and relationships

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SURROGATE KEY

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Field that a database designer creates to be the record's primary key

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TABLE

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Grid with columns and rows that stores data

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TERNARY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship that involves three entities

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THREE PRIMARY DATABASE STRUCTURES:

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1. hierarchical
2. relational
3. object-oriented

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UNARY RELATIONSHIP

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Relationship that involves one entity having a relationship with itself

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TWO IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OBJECT CLASS:

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1. State
2. Behavior

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WHAT DOES AN OBJECT CLASS'S STATE SPECIFY?

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An object class's state specifies the values of its attributes and the relationships of all object instances within the class.

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ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

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state the objectives of the organization for which the proposed database system is being built

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ORGANIZATIONAL DATA OVERVIEW:

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describes the existing organizational databases and database applications

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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE CHART

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describes the organization's management structure and highlights the managers and users involved in the database system development process

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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND STRATEGIC RATIONALES

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explains the problem that the database system solves or the opportunity that it exploits, as well as how the system helps the organization meet its defined objectives.