Fuerte, Jayrone James R.

BSMDT-1A

14-3052-975

1. What is Database

Often abbreviated DB, a database is basically a collection of information

organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired
pieces of data. You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.
Traditional databases are organized by fields, records, and files. A field is a single
piece of information; a record is one complete set of fields; and a file is a
collection of records. For example, a telephone book is analogous to a file. It
contains a list of records, each of which consists of three fields: name, address,
and telephone number.
An alternative concept in database design is known as Hypertext. In a Hypertext
database, any object, whether it be a piece of text, a picture, or a film, can
be linked to any other object. Hypertext databases are particularly useful for
organizing large amounts of disparate information, but they are not designed for
numerical analysis.
To access information from a database, you need a database management
system (DBMS). This is a collection of programs that enables you to enter,
organize, and select data in a database.
(2) Increasingly, the term database is used as shorthand for database
management system. There are many different types of DBMSs, ranging from
small systems that run on personal computers to huge systems that run
on mainframes.
2. What is Records

(1) In database management systems, a complete set of information. Records

are composed of fields, each of which contains one item of information. A set of
records constitutes a file. For example, a personnel file might contain records
that have three fields: a name field, an address field, and a phone number field.
In relational database management systems, records are called tuples.
(2) Some programming languages allow you to define a special data
structure called a record. Generally, a record is a combination of
other data objects. For example, a record might contain three integers,
a floating-point number, and a character string.

3. What is the difference of records and database

A Database is more an abstract concept for information, it doesn't talk about its
structure & how it will be stored or how storage device will be implemented. It is
organized. We can think of it as an electronic filing system. While a Record is
basic structure/unit of a file (hardware concept) & it deals with the structure of
storage (like link list, table or stack). Records are distinguished from arrays by
the fact that their number of fields is typically fixed, each field has a name, and
that each field may have a different type

4. What are the different types of databases

1.0 Relational Databases

This is the most common of all the different types of databases. In this, the data
in a relational database is stored in various data tables. Each table has a key
field which is used to connect it to other tables. Hence all the tables are related
to each other through several key fields. These databases are extensively used
in various industries and will be the one you are most likely to come across when
working in IT.
Examples of relational databases are Oracle, Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server
and they are often key parts of the process of software development. Hence you
should ensure you include any work required on the database as part of your
project when creating a project plan and estimating project costs.
2.0 Operational Databases
In its day to day operation, an organisation generates a huge amount of data.
Think of things such as inventory management, purchases, transactions and
financials. All this data is collected in a database which is often known by several
names such as operational/ production database, subject-area database (SADB)
or transaction databases.
An operational database is usually hugely important to Organisations as they
include the customer database, personal database and inventory database ie the
details of how much of a product the company has as well as information on the
customers who buy them. The data stored in operational databases can be
changed and manipulated depending on what the company requires.
3.0 Database Warehouses

Organisations are required to keep all relevant data for several years. In the UK it
can be as long as 6 years. This data is also an important source of information
for analysing and comparing the current year data with that of the past years
which also makes it easier to determine key trends taking place. All this data
from previous years are stored in a database warehouse. Since the data stored
has gone through all kinds of screening, editing and integration it does not need
any further editing or alteration.
With this database ensure that the software requirements specification (SRS) is
formally approved as part of the project quality plan.
4.0 Distributed Databases
Many organisations have several office locations, manufacturing plants, regional
offices, branch offices and a head office at different geographic locations. Each
of these work groups may have their own database which together will form the
main database of the company. This is known as a distributed database.
5.0 End-User Databases
There is a variety of data available at the workstation of all the end users of any
organisation. Each workstation is like a small database in itself which includes
data in spreadsheets, presentations, word files, note pads and downloaded files.
All such small databases form a different type of database called the end-user
database.6.0 External Database
There is a sea of information available outside world which is required by an
organisation. They are privately-owned data for which one can have conditional
and limited access for a fortune. This data is meant for commercial usage. All
such databases outside the organisation which are of use and limited access are
together called external database.
7.0 Hypermedia Database
Most websites have various interconnected multimedia pages which might include text,
video clips, audio clips, photographs and graphics. These all need to be stored and
called from somewhere when the webpage if created. All of them together form the
hypermedia database.
Please note that if you are creating such a database from scratch to be generous when
creating a project plan, detailed when defining the business requirements documentation
(BRD) and meticulous in your project cost controls. I have seen too many projects where
the creation of one of these databases has caused scope creep and an out of control
budget for a project.
8.0 Navigational Database

Navigational database has all the items which are references from other objects. In this,
one has to navigate from one reference to other or one object to other. It might be using
modern systems like XPath. One of its applications is the air flight management systems.
9.0 In-Memory Database
An in-memory databases stores data in a computers main memory instead of using a
disk-based storage system. It is faster and more reliable than that in a disk. They find
their application in telecommunications network equipments.
10.0 Document-Oriented Database
A document oriented database is a different type of database which is used in
applications which are document oriented. The data is stored in the form of text records
instead of being stored in a data table as usually happens.
11.0 Real-Time Database
A real-time database handles data which constantly keep on changing. An example of
this is a stock market database where the value of shares change every minute and
need to be updated in the real-time database. This type of database is also used in
medical and scientific analysis, banking, accounting, process control, reservation
systems etc. Essentially anything which requires access to fast moving and constantly
changing information.
Assume that this will require much more time than a normal relational database when it
comes to the software testing life cycle, as these are much more complicated to
efficiently test within normal timeframes.
12.0 Analytical Database
An analytical database is used to store information from different types of databases
such as selected operational databases and external databases. Other names given to
analytical databases are information databases, management databases or multidimensional databases. The data stored in an analytical database is used by the
management for analysis purposes, hence the name. The data in an analytical database
cannot be changed or manipulated.
5. What are the different database

Hierarchical DBMS

A DBMS is said to be hierarchical if the relationships among data in the database are
established in such a way that one data item is present as the subordinate of another
one or a sub unit. Here subordinate means that items have "parent-child" relationships
among them. Direct relationships exist between any two records that are stored
consecutively. The data structure "tree" is followed by the DBMS to structure the
database. No backward movement is possible/allowed in the hierarchical database.

The hierarchical data model was developed by IBM in 1968 and introduced in information
management systems. This model is like a structure of a tree with the records forming
the nodes. It is also known as h-dbms.

Network DBMS

A DBMS is said to be a Network DBMS if the relationships among data in the database
are of type many-to-many. The relationships among many-to-many appears in the form
of a network. Thus the structure of a network database is extremely complicated
because of these many-to-many relationships in which one record can be used as a key
of the entire database. A network database is structured in the form of a graph that is
also a data structure. Though the structure of such a DBMS is highly complicated
however it has two basic elements i.e. records and sets to designate many-to-many
relationships. Mainly high-level languages such as Pascal, C++, COBOL and FORTRAN
etc. were used to implement the records and set structures.

Relational DBMS

A DBMS is said to be a Relational DBMS or RDBMS if the database relationships are

treated in the form of a table. There are three keys on relational DBMS: relation, domain
and attributes. A network means it contains a fundamental constructs sets or records
sets contains one to many relationship, records contains fields statical table that is
composed of rows and columns is used to organize the database and its structure and is
actually a two dimension array in the computer memory. A number of RDBMSs are
available, some popular examples are Oracle, Sybase, Ingress, Informix, Microsoft SQL
Server, and Microsoft Access. hierarchical

Object-oriented DBMS

Able to handle many new data types, including graphics, photographs, audio, and video,
object-oriented databases represent a significant advance over their other database
cousins. Hierarchical and network databases are all designed to handle structured data;
that is, data that fits nicely into fields, rows, and columns. They are useful for handling
small snippets of information such as names, addresses, zip codes, product numbers,
and any kind of statistic or number you can think of. On the other hand, an objectoriented database can be used to store data from a variety of media sources, such as
photographs and text, and produce work, as output, in a multimedia format.
Object-oriented databases use small, reusable chunks of software called objects. The
objects themselves are stored in the object-oriented database. Each object consists of
two elements: 1) a piece of data (e.g., sound, video, text, or graphics), and 2) the
instructions, or software programs called methods, for what to do with the data. Part
two of this definition requires a little more explanation. The instructions contained within
the object are used to do something with the data in the object. For example, test
scores would be within the object as would the instructions for calculating average test
score.

Object-oriented databases have two disadvantages. First, they are more costly to
develop. Second, most organizations are reluctant to abandon or convert from those
databases that they have already invested money in developing and implementing.
However, the benefits to object-oriented databases are compelling. The ability to mix
and match reusable objects provides incredible multimedia capability. Healthcare
organizations, for example, can store, track, and recall CAT scans, X-rays,
electrocardiograms and many other forms of crucial data.