Deck 5: Database Management Systems

Question 1

Another name for sequential coding is block coding.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The 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.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The traditional applications approach to business event processing view of business event processing concentrates on the process being performed.

Question 5

When different information about the same fact is stored in different files the integrity of the data is violated.

Question 6

Data independence refers to decoupling the data from the system applications, and it is a major difference between the database approach and the applications approach.

Question 7

Both the mnemonic and the hierarchical coding schemes attach specific meaning to particular character positions.

Question 8

The database administrator is responsible for administrative and technical issues related to the database management system.

Question 9

Business processes such as hiring employees, purchasing inventory, and collecting cash from customers are called events.

Question 10

The uniform product codes (UPCs) used by supermarkets and other retailers are examples of a block coding scheme.

Question 11

A database management system (DBMS) is a set of standalone programs designed to complicate the tasks of creating, accessing, and managing data.

Question 12

Classifying data refers to grouping or categorizing data according to some common attributes.

Question 13

The applications approach to data management decouples the data from the applications or other users of the data.

Question 14

A scanner is used to access a database and to produce inquiry reports.

Question 15

A description of a portion of a schema is referred to as a subschema.

Question 16

The database approach to data management concentrates on the process being performed, rather than on the data themselves.

Question 17

A self checking digit code assigns an extra digit to a code in order to check the accuracy with which the code is keyed into a computer.

Question 18

A DBMS is a set of integrated computer programs designed to simplify the tasks of creating, accessing, and managing a database.

Question 19

Because it uses alphabetic characters, a sequential coding system is most understandable to human beings.

Question 20

In the network database model, a child record can have more than one parent record.

Question 21

A secondary key uniquely identifies any row within a relational table.

Question 22

An attribute is an item of data that characterizes an entity or relationship.

Question 23

A partial dependency happens when an attribute that is dependent on a portion of the primary key not on the entire key.

Question 24

In a network database model, data are logically organized into two-dimensional tables.

Question 25

The normalization process involves various steps (called normal forms) that transform an original database design into an equivalent design that is free of problems.

Question 26

An attribute is equivalent to a field and may also be known as a row.

Question 27

In a relational database model, data are logically organized into two-dimensional tables.

Question 28

Data redundancy allows non-technical users to bypass the programmer and to access the database directly.

Question 29

An unnormalized table is a table that contains repeating attributes (or fields) within each row (or record).

Question 30

Update anomalies are problems in a relation table caused by the existence of functional dependencies.

Question 31

Specifications for a database are often depicted using entity relationship diagrams.

Question 32

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.

Question 33

A table is in second normal form (2NF), if it does not contain repeating groups.

Question 34

An object oriented database system is a database that allows both simple and complex objects to be stored using abstract data types.

Question 35

In a hierarchical database model, all record relationships are 3:N.

Question 36

A data model depicts user requirements for data stored in a database.

Question 37

Data warehousing is the use of information systems facilities to focus on the collection, organization, integration, and long-term storage of entity-wide data.

Question 38

In a hierarchical database model, a child record may only have one parent.

Question 39

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.

Question 40

Data mining refers to the exploration, aggregation, and analysis of large quantities of varied data from across the organization to better understand an organization's business processes, trends within these processes, and potential opportunities to improve the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the organization.

Question 41

Group Support Systems (GSS) focus on such functions as e-mail, scheduling, and document sharing.

Question 42

Data warehousing and data mining are dependent on the massive data integration and data independence made possible through database technology.

Question 43

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:

A)hierarchical
B)block
C)significant digit
D)sequential

Question 44

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.

Question 45

Data redundancy:

A)occurs when data is stored in multiple locations
B)is eliminated by using the applications approach
C)reduces labor and storage costs
D)improves consistency between applications

Question 46

Maximum cardinality is used to specify the minimum level of participation that one entity can have with another entity.

Question 47

A SQL is a powerful database language that can be used to define database systems, query the database for information, generate reports from the database, and access databases from within programs using embedded commands.

Question 48

A postal ZIP code is an example of which of the following coding schemes?

A)block code
B)serial code
C)hierarchical code
D)significant digit code

Question 49

Executive information systems use complex processing and calculations to determine a solution to a problem.

Question 50

A record layout depicts:

A)the characters comprising a field
B)the fields comprising a record
C)the records comprising a file
D)the characters comprising a record

Question 51

Which of the following statements related to the event-driven approach is false?

A)It attempts to describe all aspects of business events.
B)It is also referred to as the top-down approach.
C)It focuses on how users interact with business events and processes.
D)It usually results in a better database design than the bottom-up approach.

Question 52

A spreadsheet is a typical component of a decision support system.

Question 53

Another name for sequential coding is:

A)block coding
B)serial coding
C)hierarchical coding
D)significant digit coding

Question 54

A neural network is a software program that may be integrated into DSS or other software tools.

Question 55

The uniform product codes (UPC) used in supermarkets are a type of:

A)block code
B)serial code
C)hierarchical code
D)significant digit code

Question 56

In set theory, a two-dimensional collection of information is called a relation.

Question 57

Grouping or categorizing data according to common attributes is called:

A)coding data
B)filing data
C)classifying data
D)updating data

Question 58

Each relationship has a characteristic, called a cardinality, that shows the degree to which each entity participates in the relationship.

Question 59

An expert system makes decisions based on rules of thumb (heuristics) that are stored in the system's knowledge base.

Question 60

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.

Question 61

A data model depicts graphically the requirements for data as specified by the:

A)database
B)enterprise
C)user
D)database administrator

Question 62

An object, event, or agent about which data are collected is called:

A)an attribute
B)an entity
C)a relationship
D)a query

Question 63

In an entity-relationship diagram, _____________ are used to show the characteristics of relationships.

A)squares
B)circles
C)diamonds
D)parallelograms

Question 64

In a(n) ____ database model, records are organized in a pyramid structure.

A)hierarchical
B)relational
C)network
D)object-oriented

Question 65

Which of the following advantages of the database approach does not occur because of a reduction in data redundancy?

A)reduced storage costs
B)easier maintenance
C)increased data integrity
D)reduced user and programmer training

Question 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:

A)operating system software
B)database management system (DBMS) software
C)application program software
D)query language software

Question 67

The ____________________________ concentrates on the process being performed with data playing a secondary or supporting role:

A)database management approach
B)hierarchical data management approach
C)transaction processing approach
D)applications approach

Question 68

Assigning numbers to objects in chronological sequence is known as:

A)block coding
B)mnemonic coding
C)sequential coding
D)check digit coding

Question 69

Which of the following is the most likely coding scheme for college courses?

A)hierarchical coding
B)sequential coding
C)block coding
D)mnemonic coding

Question 70

A(n) ____ reflects a system's key entities and the relationship among them.

A)data flow diagram
B)relational table
C)program flow chart
D)entity-relationship diagram

Question 71

Which of the following statements related to events-driven systems is false?

A)The effectiveness of an events-driven system relies on the effective implementation of a database management system
B)An events-driven system supports the concepts of data warehousing and data mining.
C)Organizations adopting an events-driven system are focused on capturing data for the purpose of generating reports.
D)Users should be able to access and manipulate data using their own models and their own data aggregations.

Question 72

Which of the following is not a database model discussed in Chapter 5:

A)relational
B)hierarchical
C)network
D)physical

Question 73

With the database approach to data management, we expect to have:

A)increased data storage costs
B)improved data integrity
C)increased data redundancy
D)greater difficulty in performing file maintenance

Question 74

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:

A)control digit
B)check digit
C)mnemonic digit
D)significant digit

Question 75

The coding system that is most understandable by human information processors is:

A)serial coding
B)hierarchical coding
C)block coding
D)mnemonic coding

Question 76

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.
B)Users can access and manipulate data using their own models.
C)The approach eliminates many of the problems caused by data redundancy.
D)In this approach, data and applications are dependent on each other.

Question 77

Which of the following functions would not normally be performed by a database administrator?

A)Establishing backup and recovery procedures.
B)Determining user-authorization privileges and monitoring access to the database.
C)"Selling" the database approach to users and to top-level management.
D)Identifying and correcting programming errors.

Question 78

Decoupling the data from the system applications is a major difference between the database approach and the applications approach and is known as:

A)data independence
B)data manipulation
C)data redundancy
D)query language

Question 79

The feature of a database management system that enables nontechnical users to access a database and to produce inquiry reports is the:

A)schema
B)query language
C)subschema
D)logical database view

Question 80

Which of the following is not a function that a database management system performs?

A)Defining the data.
B)Defining the relations among data.
C)Interfacing with the operating system for storage of the data on the physical media.
D)Mapping one view of the data.