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Unit 1 The Online World
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2. Explain what is meant be each of the following terms.
Table
In a relational database, a table (sometimes called a file) organizes the information
about a single topic into rows and
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Record
all the data about a person or thing.
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Field
A field is one piece of data about a person or thing.
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Relationship
When one database has a foreign key but is a primary key in another..
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Data Type
A programming language in databases.
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Unit 1 The Online World
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5. What is a foreign key?
the foreign key is defined in a second table, but it refers to the primary key in the first table.
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6. What kind of relationships can tables have between each other?
One to one and one to many.
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Online databases are databases which are accessible using a network, including
the internet. They are very different to local databases as they have to be
accessed, and possibly updated, by millions of users. Normally these databases
will have thousands of rows of information. Usually information is found in online
databases by using a search engine.
7. How might an online database be used?
Databases can store very large numbers of records efficiently (they take up little
space).
It is very quick and easy to find information.
It is easy to add new data and to edit or delete old data.
Data can be searched easily, eg 'find all Ford cars'.
Data can be sorted easily, for example into 'date first registered' order.
Data can be imported into other applications, for example a mail-merge letter to a
customer saying that an MOT test is due.
More than one person can access the same database at the same time - multi-
BTEC 2012
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Unit 1 The Online World
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Security may be better than in paper filesWhen a database holds details about
people, it's likely to include their first name, surname and their date of birth. In
addition to this, specialist information is stored depending on the database's
intended use.
The police have details of all known criminals in a database, eg crimes they've
comitted.
Schools use a database to store details about their pupils, eg how many days
they've been off school sick.
A hospital will store details of all its patients in a database, eg a history of their
health issues.
The Government uses a database to store records of people's income tax
payments.
A database is used to keep track of all the drivers in central London who have (or
haven't) paid the Congestion Charge..
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8. What is a DBMS? What does it do?
Database management systems (DBMSs) are computer software applications that interact
with the user, other applications, and the database itself to capture and analyze data. A
general-purpose DBMS is designed to allow the definition, creation, querying, update, and
administration of databases.
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BTEC 2012
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Unit 1 The Online World
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