Chapter 5—Database Management Systems Key
1. Business processes, such as hiring employees, purchasing inventory, and collecting cash from customers, are
called events.
2. The traditional applications approach to business event processing concentrates on the process being
performed.
3. The centralized database approach to business event processing, in which facts about events are stored in
relational database tables instead of separate files, solves many of the problems caused by data redundancy.
4. When different information about the same fact is stored in different files the integrity of the data is violated.
5. A database management system (DBMS) is a set of standalone programs designed to complicate the tasks of
creating, accessing, and managing data.
6. The database administrator is responsible for administrative and technical issues related to the database
management system.
7. The database management system, containing data related to all an organization’s applications, supports
normal data processing needs and enhances the organization’s management activities by providing data useful to
managers.
8. Data independence refers to decoupling the data from the system applications, and it is a major difference
between the centralized database approach and the applications approach.
9. Classifying data refers to grouping or categorizing data according to some common attributes.
10. Another name for sequential coding is block coding.
11. The uniform product codes (UPCs) used by supermarkets and other retailers are examples of a block coding
scheme.
12. Both the mnemonic and the hierarchical coding schemes attach specific meaning to particular character
positions.
13. Because it uses alphabetic characters, a sequential coding system is most understandable to human beings.
14. A check digit is a code that includes an extra digit to a code in order to check the accuracy with which the
code is keyed into a computer.
15. The centralized database approach to data management concentrates on the process being performed, rather
16. A DBMS is a set of integrated computer programs designed to simplify the tasks of creating, accessing, and
managing a centralized database.
17. The applications approach to data management decouples the data from the applications or other users of the
data.
18. In the network database model, a child record can have more than one parent record.
19. A description of a portion of a schema is referred to as a subschema.
20. A scanner is used to access a database and to produce inquiry reports.
21. Data warehousing is the use of information systems facilities to focus on the collection, organization,
integration, and long-term storage of entity-wide data.
22. Data redundancy allows non-technical users to bypass the programmer and to access the database directly.
23. Data mining refers to the exploration, aggregation, and analysis of large quantities of varied data from
across the organization.
24. A data model for a database is often depicted using entity-relationship diagrams.
25. A data model depicts user requirements for data stored in a database.
26. A secondary key uniquely identifies any row within a relational table.
27. An attribute is equivalent to a field and may also be known as a row.
28. In a hierarchical database model, all record relationships are 3:N.
29. In a hierarchical database model, a child record may only have one parent.
30. In a relational database model, data are logically organized into two-dimensional tables.
31. In a network database model, data are logically organized into two-dimensional tables.
32. An object-oriented database system is a database that allows both simple and complex objects to be stored
using abstract data types.
33. The normalization process involves the application of various rules (called normal forms) that yields
relational tables that are free of anomalies.
34. An unnormalized table is a table that contains repeating attributes (or fields) within each row (or record).
35. A table is in second normal form (2NF), if it does not contain repeating groups.
36. A table is in first normal form (1NF) if it has no partial dependencies; that is, no non-key attribute is
dependent on only a portion of the primary key.
37. Update anomalies are problems in a relation table caused by the existence of functional dependencies.
38. A relation is in third normal form (3NF) if it is in first normal form and no nonkey attribute is dependent on
only a portion of the primary key.
39. A partial dependency happens when an attribute that is dependent on a portion of the primary key not on the
entire key.
40. An attribute is an item of data that characterizes an entity or relationship.
41. Each relationship has a characteristic, called a cardinality that shows the degree to which each entity
participates in the relationship.
42. Maximum cardinality is used to specify the minimum level of participation that one entity can have with
another entity.
43. In set theory, a two-dimensional collection of information is called a relation.
44. A spreadsheet is a typical component of a decision support system.
45. Executive information systems use complex processing and calculations to determine a solution to a
problem.
46. Group Support Systems (GSS) focus on such functions as e-mail, scheduling, and document sharing.
47. An expert system helps make complex decisions consistently.
48. A neural network is a software program that may be integrated into DSS or other software tools.
49. An intelligent agent is a computer-based system of hardware and software that mimics the human brain’s
ability to recognize patterns or predict outcomes using less-than-complete information.
50. Knowledge management is the process of capturing, storing, retrieving, and distributing the knowledge of
the individuals in an organization for use by others in the organization to improve the quantity and/or efficiency
of decision making.
51. Data warehousing and data mining are driving many new DBMS implementations.
52. Data redundancy:
53. Which of the following statements related to the event-driven approach is false?
54. A record layout depicts:
55. Grouping or categorizing data according to common attributes is called:
56. Another name for sequential coding is:
57. The uniform product codes (UPC) used in supermarkets is a type of:
58. A company uses a 7-digit number to identify customers. For example, the customer 1532789 indicates the
following information:
digits 1-2, state, 15 = Georgia
digit 3, type of organization, 3 = government agency
digit 4, credit terms, 2 = 2/10, n/30
digits 5-7, unique customer identifier, 789
This type of coding scheme is:
59. A postal ZIP code is an example of which of the following coding schemes?
60. The coding system that is most understandable by human information processors is:
A. serial coding
61. Which of the following is the most likely coding scheme for college courses?
A. hierarchical coding
62. An extra character added to a numeric code as a device to test the accuracy of data entered into a computer
system is called a:
63. Assigning numbers to objects in chronological sequence is known as:
64. The ____ concentrates on the process being performed with data playing a secondary or supporting role.
A. database management approach
65. Which of the following statements regarding the centralized database approach to data management is
false?
A. Facts about events are stored in relational database tables.
66. The computer software needed to implement a database approach to data management that is not needed
with the applications approach to data management is:
67. Which of the following is not a database model discussed in Chapter 5:
A. Relational
68. The feature of a database management system that enables nontechnical users to access a database and to
produce inquiry reports is the:
69. Decoupling the data from the system applications is a major difference between the centralized database
approach and the applications approach and is known as:
70. With the centralized database approach to data management, we expect to have:
71. Which of the following advantages of the centralized database approach does not occur because of a
reduction in data redundancy?
A. reduced storage costs
72. Which of the following is not a function that a database management system performs?
A. Defining the data.
73. The exploration, aggregation, and analysis of large quantities of varied data from across the organization is
known as:
74. Which of the following statements related to events-driven systems is false?
A. In events-driven systems data is aggregated and maintained in its original form.
75. A(n) ____ reflects a system’s key entities and the relationship among them.
A. data flow diagram
76. A resource, event, or agent about which data are collected is called:
D. a query
77. In an entity-relationship diagram, ____ are used to show the characteristics of relationships.
78. A data model depicts the requirements for data as specified by the:
79. In a(n) ____ database model, records are organized in a pyramid structure.
80. The ____ database model works well for simple data structures, but falls apart quickly when the data
becomes more complex.
81. In a(n) ____ database model, a child record may have more than one parent.
82. ____ databases include abstract data types that allow users to define characteristics of the data to be stored
when developing an application.
A. hierarchical
83. In a(n) ____ database model, data are logically organized into two-dimensional tables.
84. The use of information systems facilities to focus on the collection, organization, integration, and long-term
storage of entity-wide data is known as:
A. data independence
85. In an object-oriented database model, what types of objects can be stored through use of abstract data types,
inheritance, and encapsulation?
A. simple
86. Object-oriented databases:
87. If attribute A determines a single value for attribute B at any time, we say that attribute B is ____.
88. A relation that is in ____ form contains repeating attributes within each row or record.
89. A relation is in second normal form (2NF) if it is in first normal form (1NF) and:
90. Of the following options, a database that is in ____ form has the best design.
A. unnormalized
91. The applications approach to business event processing:
92. Running an applications approach to sales and inventory programs leads to:
93. Data flows that mirror and monitor business operations are called ____ flows.
94. Data flows that provide a basis for managerial decisions are called ____ information flows.
95. The approach to business event processing in which facts are stored in a relational database is:
96. In a DBMS, a complete description of the configuration of record types, data items and the relationships
among them is known as:
A. query language
97. A ____ describes a portion of a DBMS’ configuration of record types and data items and the relationships
among them.
98. The way a user thinks of the data in a database is called the user’s:
99. Which of the following statements is true of a hierarchical DBMS?
100. Which of the following statements is true of a network database model?
101. The model that only works well for simple data structures is the:
102. The model that logically organizes data into two-dimensional tables is the:
103. The model that includes abstract types that allow users to define data to be stored in the database is the:
A. hierarchical database model
104. A unique identifier that serves as an address for each row in a database is called:
105. In the applications approach to business event processing, a data change in one application before updating
another application could lead to:
106. A(n) ____ depicts user requirements for data stored in a database.
A. data model
107. In creating an entity-relationship diagram, the correct sequence of steps is: