Deck 4: Relational Databases

Question 1

Accountants may be involved in several aspects of database development.In which area below would an accountant least likely have involvement when developing a database system?

A)the conceptual-level schema
B)the external-level schema
C)the internal-level schema
D)the logical view of data

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The combination of the database,the DBMS,and the application programs that access the database through the DBMS is referred to as the

A)Data warehouse
B)Database administrator
C)Database system
D)Database manager

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The person responsible for the database is the

A)Data coordinator
B)Database administrator
C)Database manager
D)Database master

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The ____________ handles the link between the way data are physically stored and each user's logical view of that data.

A)Data warehouse
B)Database administrator
C)Database management system software
D)Schema

Question 5

Schemas are used in designing database systems.The schema that provides an organization-wide view of the entire database is known as

A)the external-level schema.
B)the internal-level schema.
C)the conceptual-level schema.
D)the logical view of the database.

Question 6

What is the most popular type of database?

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

Question 7

A set of individual user views of the database is called the

A)schema.
B)internal-level schema.
C)external-level schema.
D)meta-schema.

Question 8

File-oriented approaches create problems for organizations because of

A)multiple transaction files.
B)a lack of sophisticated file maintenance software.
C)multiple users.
D)multiple master files which may contain redundant data.

Question 9

A low-level view of the database that describes how the data are actually stored and accessed is the

A)schema.
B)subschema.
C)internal-level schema.
D)external-level schema.

Question 10

All of the following are benefits of database technology except:

A)Data integration and sharing
B)Decentralized management of data
C)Minimal data redundancy
D)Reporting flexibility

Question 11

The logical structure of a database is described by the

A)dictionary.
B)schema.
C)subschema.
D)internal level.

Question 12

Separating the logical and physical views in a database allows the programmers to concentrate on coding the application logic

A)by identifying physical location and layouts of various data items.
B)since they do not have to focus on the physical location and layouts of various data items.
C)by consolidating all data in one database.
D)by providing pointers to data items regardless of physical location.

Question 13

Using a file-oriented approach to data and information,data is maintained in

A)a central database.
B)many interconnected files.
C)many separate files.
D)a decentralized database.

Question 14

A database system separates the logical and physical view of data.Such separation facilitates the development of new applications since programmers can concentrate their efforts on coding application logic.The term physical view refers to

A)how a user or programmer conceptually organizes and understands the data.
B)how the DBMS accesses data for an certain application program.
C)how and where the data are physically arranged and stored.
D)how master files maintain facts used by certain application programs.

Question 15

Record layouts,definitions,addresses,and indexes will be stored at the __________ level schema.

A)external
B)conceptual
C)internal
D)inner

Question 16

Which statement is true regarding file systems?

A)Transaction files are similar to ledgers in a manual AIS.
B)The proliferation of master files creates problems in the consistency of specific data stored in different files.
C)Transaction files are permanent.
D)Individual records are never deleted in a master file.

Question 17

The ___________ acts as an interface between the database and the various application programs

A)Data warehouse
B)Database administrator
C)Database management system
D)Database system

Question 18

The software program that creates,manipulates,and accesses the database goes by the acronym

A)DBMS.
B)DBP.
C)OS.
D)DBA.

Question 19

A set of interrelated,centrally coordinated files is called

A)a database.
B)a master file.
C)a transaction file.
D)a multiple-records grouping (MRG).

Question 20

The ____________ contains information about the structure of the database.

A)Data definition language
B)Data dictionary
C)Data warehouse
D)Database management system

Question 21

The DBMS language that is used for data maintenance and updating of the database is referred to by the letters

A)DDL.
B)DML.
C)DQL.
D)SQL.

Question 22

Many database systems include a feature that simplifies the creation of reports by allowing users to specify the data elements desired and the format of the output.This feature is named the __________.

A)report writer
B)report generator
C)report creator
D)report printer

Question 23

Redundancy can be a major problem in the design and operation of relational databases.If a database uses only one relation to store data,several problems may subsequently occur.The problem of changes (or updates)to data values being incorrectly recorded is known as

A)an update anomaly.
B)an insert anomaly.
C)a delete anomaly.
D)a memory anomaly.

Question 24

One of the key components of a DBMS is the data dictionary,which contains information about the structure of the database.Which would not generally be considered a data dictionary output report?

A)a list of cash balances in the organization's bank accounts
B)a list of all programs in which a data element is used
C)a list of all synonyms for the data elements in a particular file
D)a list of all data elements used by a particular user

Question 25

Each row in a relational database's table is known as a

A)data model
B)relation
C)schema
D)tuple

Question 26

A database model that represents all data as stored in two-dimensional tables is the __________ model.

A)tuple
B)relational
C)hierarchy
D)object

Question 27

DBMS uses a language to retrieve,sort,order,and present subsets in a database.This language is known as

A)data definition language (DDL).
B)data manipulation language (DML).
C)data query language (DQL).
D)report writer.

Question 28

The part of the DBMS that is used to interrogate the database and present subsets of the database to users is called the

A)DDL.
B)DML.
C)DQL.
D)DBA.

Question 29

A DBMS must provide a way to define,manipulate,and query data in a database.This is accomplished by the use of three different languages.The language that is used to provide the function of data maintenance in a DBMS is

A)DDL.
B)DML.
C)DQL.
D)report writer.

Question 30

A relational database has been designed where the customer data is not maintained independently of sales invoice data.This design weakness will most likely result in

A)an update anomaly.
B)an insert anomaly.
C)a delete anomaly.
D)no anomaly.

Question 31

The data dictionary usually is maintained

A)automatically by the DBMS.
B)by the database administrator.
C)by the database programmers.
D)by top management.

Question 32

Reports produced using the data dictionary could include all of the following except

A)a list of all programs where a data item is used.
B)a list of all synonyms for the data items in a particular file.
C)a list of all outputs where a data element is used.
D)a list of all the schemas included in a database.

Question 33

The attribute that can uniquely identify a specific row in a table is the

A)primary key
B)secondary key
C)foreign key
D)logical key

Question 34

The potential inconsistency problem could arise when there are multiple occurrences of a data item in a database.This is called the

A)update anomaly.
B)insert anomaly.
C)inconsistency anomaly.
D)integrity anomaly.

Question 35

An attribute in a table that is a primary key in another table.

A)primary key
B)secondary key
C)foreign key
D)anomaly

Question 36

Which of the following would not be found in a data dictionary entry for a data item?

A)records containing a data item
B)the physical location of the data
C)the source of the data item
D)the field (data)type

Question 37

The DBMS language that is used to build,initialize,and describe logical views for users is called the

A)DDL.
B)DML.
C)DQL.
D)DBA.

Question 38

The abstract representation of the contents of a database is called the logical

A)data model.
B)data dictionary.
C)data relationship.
D)subschemas.

Question 39

Creating an empty table in a relational database requires use of the __________,and filling that table requires the use of __________.

A)DDL; DML
B)DQL; SQL
C)DDL; DQL
D)DML; DDA

Question 40

The problem of inability to add new data without violating the basic integrity of the database is referred to as the

A)update anomaly.
B)insert anomaly.
C)integrity anomaly.
D)add anomaly.

Question 41

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The entities described by the first file are:

A)Marmosets
B)Parental relationships
C)Registration numbers
D)Names

Question 42

One important constraint in a relational database environment is that a primary key uniquely identifies each row in a data table.This principle is called the

A)entity integrity rule.
B)referential integrity rule.
C)unique primary key rule.
D)foreign key rule.

Question 43

Normalization means tables are in the __________ normal form.

A)first
B)second
C)third
D)fourth

Question 44

The problem of losing desired information from a database when an unwanted record is purged from the database is referred to as the __________ anomaly.

A)purge
B)erase
C)delete
D)integrity

Question 45

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The primary key in the first file is:

A)Name
B)Registration number
C)Date of birth
D)Relationship number

Question 46

Which of the statements below is incorrect regarding semantic data modeling?

A)It facilitates the efficient design of transaction processing databases.
B)It facilitates communicating with the intended users of the system.
C)It allows a database designer to use knowledge about how the business processes work to design the database.
D)Semantic data modeling simply follows the rules of normalization in the design of a database.

Question 47

In the database design approach known as normalization,the first assumption made about data is

A)there is no redundancy in the data.
B)the delete anomaly will not apply since all customer records will be maintained indefinitely.
C)everything is initially stored in one large table.
D)the data will not be maintained in 3NF tables.

Question 48

Which is probably the most significant effect of database technology on accounting?

A)replacement of the double entry-system
B)change in the nature of financial reporting
C)elimination of traditional records such as journals and ledgers
D)quicker access to and greater use of accounting information in decision-making

Question 49

There are two basic ways to design a well-structured relational database.The method in which a database designer uses knowledge about how business processes work to draw a graphical picture of the elements to be included in the database is called

A)normalization.
B)decentralization.
C)geometric data modeling.
D)semantic data modeling.

Question 50

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The entities described by the second file are:

A)Marmosets
B)Parental relationships
C)Registration numbers
D)Names

Question 51

A well-structured or "normalized" database imposes several requirements on the structure of tables.The constraint that ensures the consistency of the database is known as

A)the entity integrity rule.
B)the referential integrity rule.
C)the logical view.
D)the physical view.

Question 52

What is one potential drawback in the design and implementation of database systems for accounting?

A)Double-entry accounting relies on redundancy as part of the accounting process; well-designed database systems reduce and attempt to eliminate redundancy.
B)Relational DBMS query languages will allow financial reports to be prepared to cover whatever time periods managers want to examine.
C)Relational DBMS provide the capability of integrating financial and operational data.
D)Relational DBMS can accommodate multiple views of the same underlying phenomenon; therefore,tables storing information about assets can include data about both historical and replacement costs.

Question 53

Scuz Bootes is a sexagenarian who has been doing custom choppers,piercings,and tattoos for over thirty years.His home and place of business is a garage in the harbor district of Seattle,Washington.He has meticulous records of every job he has ever done,carefully hand written with the customer name and address,a description of the job,and an attached picture of the bike or body part before and after customization.His unique style has recently attracted the attention of national media after several celebrities sought him out and showcased his work.Business is booming.Consequently,Scuz has hired you to construct an accounting information system,beginning with the historical records.As you read through the records,you notice that some customer last names have different first names in different records.For example,R.Framington Farnsworth (custom chopper),Bob Farnsworth (tattoo),and Snake Farnsworth (tattoos and piercings)all seem to be the same person.This is an example of what type of problem in the existing records?

A)Entity integrity
B)Referential integrity
C)Update anomaly
D)Insert anomaly

Question 54

The database constraint that says that foreign keys must be null or have a value corresponding to the value of a primary key in another table is formally called the

A)entity integrity rule.
B)referential integrity rule.
C)rule of keys.
D)referential entity rule.

Question 55

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The primary key in the second file is:

A)Name
B)Registration number
C)Date of birth
D)Relationship number

Question 56

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The primary key in the first file is:

A)Name
B)Birth date
C)A foreign key in the second file.
D)The primary key in the second file.

Question 57

The process of designing a database that is well-structured and free from anomalies is called

A)normalization.
B)anormalization.
C)data modeling.
D)manipulation.

Question 58

Dana Halsey is chair of the Purebred Marmoset Society,which maintains a database of registered purebred marmosets and their breeding history.Originally,the database was stored on index cards,but recently Dana has been exploring the use of a computerized system.One file in the system will store the name,birth date,and other characteristics of all of the marmosets that have been registered.Each marmoset is uniquely identified by a registration number.A second file will contain data that link each marmoset to its male and female parents by means of their serial numbers.The primary key in the second file is:

A)Name
B)Birth date
C)Constructed from two foreign keys.
D)The primary key in the first file.

Question 59

Which statement below is false regarding the basic requirements of the relational data model?

A)"Every column in a row must be single-valued."
B)"All nonkey attributes in a table should describe a characteristic about the object identified by the primary key."
C)"Foreign keys,if not null,must have values that correspond to the value of a primary key in another table."
D)"Primary keys can be null."

Question 60

Identify the aspect of a normalized database that is incorrect:

A)Data is consistent.
B)Redundancy is minimized and controlled.
C)All data is stored in one table or relation.
D)The primary key of any row in a relation cannot be null.

Question 61

Which one of the following results corresponds to the query below?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 62

What is a major advantage of database systems over file-oriented transaction processing systems?

Question 63

Scuz Bootes is a sexagenarian who has been doing custom choppers,piercings,and tattoos for over thirty years.His home and place of business is a garage in the harbor district of Seattle,Washington.He has meticulous records of every job he has ever done,carefully hand written with the customer name and address,a description of the job,and an attached picture of the bike or body part before and after customization.His unique style has recently attracted the attention of national media after several celebrities sought him out and showcased his work.Business is booming.Consequently,Scuz has hired you to construct an accounting information system,beginning with the historical records.As you read through the records,you notice that some customer last names have different first names in different records.For example,R.Framington Farnsworth (custom chopper),Bob Farnsworth (tattoo),and Snake Farnsworth (tattoos and piercings)all seem to be the same person.You explain to Scuz that every customer must be identified by a unique customer number in the AIS.You are referring to:

A)Entity integrity
B)Referential integrity
C)An update anomaly
D)An insert anomaly

Question 64

Define and distinguish between these terms: database,database management system,database system and database administrator.

Question 65

Heidi Holloway is a headhunter with Career Funnel in Boca Raton,Florida.Heidi is proud of the company's ability to "funnel workers into jobs." The foundation of CF's success is its accounting information system and,in particular,its list of employers and clients.Each employer is identified by a tax identification number and each client by a social security number.When a client is placed with an employer,a record is created in which these two numbers are

A)combined to make the primary key.
B)both primary keys.
C)both foreign keys.
D)redundant data.

Question 66

Chelsana Washington is a medical equipment sales representative.Her company has provided her with a laptop computer that uses wireless connectivity to access the accounting information system from virtually anywhere in the country.She,and the other sales reps,have read access to customer and product information.They have write access that allows them to enter and cancel customer orders.These permissions define a(an)______ in the company's database management system.

A)schema
B)subschema
C)data dictionary
D)physical view

Question 67

Describe the different schemas involved in a database structure.What is the role of accountants in development of schemas?

Question 68

Which one of the following results corresponds to the query below?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 69

Name the three "anomalies" that may occur in an improperly designed relational database?

Question 70

What is the difference in logical view and physical view?

Question 71

Shandra Bundawi is a new graduate who has been hired by an old-line,family-owned furniture manufacturing company in the northeast.She has been asked to analyze the company's accounting information system and to recommend cost-effective improvements.After noting that the production and sales departments use database systems that are entirely separated,she recommends that they be combined.Implementation of her recommendation would benefit the company by contributing to data

A)independence.
B)integration.
C)redundancy.
D)qualifications.

Question 72

Which one of the following results corresponds to the query below?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 73

Scuz Bootes is a sexagenarian who has been doing custom choppers,piercings,and tattoos for over thirty years.His home and place of business is a garage in the harbor district of Seattle,Washington.He has meticulous records of every job he has ever done,carefully hand written with the customer name and address,a description of the job,and an attached picture of the bike or body part before and after customization.His unique style has recently attracted the attention of national media after several celebrities sought him out and showcased his work.Business is booming.Consequently,Scuz has hired you to construct an accounting information system,beginning with the historical records.You begin development of the relational database that will form the core of the AIS by envisioning the record stored in a single table with a column that represents each attribute.You then begin to break this table down into smaller tables.This process is called:

A)Integration
B)Optimization
C)Minimization
D)Normalization

Question 74

Chelsana Washington is a medical equipment sales representative.Her company has provided her with a laptop computer that uses wireless connectivity to access the accounting information system from virtually anywhere in the country.She,and the other sales reps,have read access to customer and product information.They have write access that allows them to enter and cancel customer orders.These permissions define a(an)______ in the company's database management system.

A)conceptual-level schema
B)external-level schema
C)data dictionary
D)internal-level schema

Question 75

Scuz Bootes is a sexagenarian who has been doing custom choppers,piercings,and tattoos for over thirty years.His home and place of business is a garage in the harbor district of Seattle,Washington.He has meticulous records of every job he has ever done,carefully hand written with the customer name and address,a description of the job,and an attached picture of the bike or body part before and after customization.His unique style has recently attracted the attention of national media after several celebrities sought him out and showcased his work.Business is booming.Consequently,Scuz has hired you to construct an accounting information system,beginning with the historical records.As you read through the records,you notice that some describe multiple services.For example,Sheila Yasgur (notation: won lottery)got a custom chopper,multiple tattoos,and piercings in undiscloed locations (no pictures.)You realize that,in these cases,a single written record will have to be translated into multiple sales records.This is an example of what type of problem in the existing records?

A)Entity integrity
B)Referential integrity
C)Update anomaly
D)Insert anomaly

Question 76

Data that are classified in terms of geographic regions can be presented in reports that are displayed as maps with color or texture differences that indicate different values of the measure of interest,such as population,income level,age,etc.This view of a database is an example of a(an)

A)External level schema
B)Conceptual level schema
C)Internal level schema
D)Base level schema

Question 77

What is a data dictionary?

Question 78

Heidi Holloway is a headhunter with Career Funnel in Boca Raton,Florida.Heidi is proud of the company's motto: We funnel workers into jobs.The foundation of CF's success is its accounting information system.When a client is placed with an employer,a record is created that identifies the employment relationship.CF follows up on placements by surveying both employers and clients about the employment experience and then entering the results into the AIS.Clients are uniquely identified by social security number.In records that contain client survey data,this number is likely to be

A)the primary key.
B)a foreign key.
C)combined with other data fields to form a primary key.
D)absent.

Question 79

List the four languages used within a DBMS.

Question 80

Scuz Bootes is a sexagenarian who has been doing custom choppers,piercings,and tattoos for over thirty years.His home and place of business is a garage in the harbor district of Seattle,Washington.He has meticulous records of every job he has ever done.These have been entered into a computerized accounting information system that his accountant refers to as a "data warehouse." Scuz is considering an expansion of his business into scarification,and has asked his accountant to identify past customers who might be likely candidates for this service.Scuz wants his accountant to engage in

A)customer auditing.
B)customer resource management.
C)data mining.
D)enterprise resource planning.