Database Management and Design Study Guide

Know the definition of database.
A database is a structure that can store information about multiple types of entities, the attributes of those entities, and the relationships among those entities.

Know the definition of entity.
An entity is a person, place, object, event, or idea for which you want to store and process data.

Know the definition of relationship.
A relationship is an association between entities.

Know what kind of information a database can store.
A database can store information such as store inventory, customer names, addresses, and orders.

Know why you would not want to name a table "Order" in example.
You would not want to name a table 'order' because the word 'order' has a special purpose. Having a tabe named 'order' could cause problems in such database systems.

Know what a form is.
Forms are screen objects used to maintain, view, and print data from a database.

Know some of the advantages of database processing.
Advantages of database processing include: Getting more information from the same amount of data, sharing data, Balancing conflicting requirements, controlling redundancy, facilitating consistency, improving integrity, expanding security, increasing productivity, and providing data independence.

If two tables each contain a column having the same name, what must you do to refer to the columns?
If two tables each contain a column having the same name, you would refer to the columns by writing both the table name and the column name, separated by a period.

Know the meaning of Primary Key.
The Primary Key of a table is a column or collection of columns that uniquely identifies a given row in that table.

In Access, what symbol should you use to add all fields from a table to your design grid?
In Access, you can add all fields from a table to the design grid by double-clicking the asterisk in the tables field list.

Know what Query By Example (QBE) is.
Query By Example, or QBE, is an approach to writing queries that is visual. With QBE, users enter their questions by entering column names and other criteria using an on-screen grid, and data appears on the screen in table form.

In Access, know what syntax you must use to indicate an OR criterion.
To create an OR Criterion, place the criteria on different criteria rows in the design grid.

Know which command takes a vertical subset of a table.
The PROJECT command within relational algebra takes a vertical subset of a table.

Know which command allows you to extract data from more than one table.
The JOIN command in relational algebra combines data from two or more tables based on common columns.

Know which command allows you to perform the Difference operation.
The difference operation is performed by the SUBTRACT command in relational algebra.

Know the basic format of an SQL-retrieval command.
The basic format of an SQL retrieval command