Title: Final Exam
Course: KVCC BUS210 > Section: Assessments

Question 1

In the first part of the book the topic was on Database concepts and the following questions will be on this topic:

1.     The first chapter discusses the groundwork of databases and their design:

a.     The first thing to consider is the question of what a database actually is, however instead of asking for a simple definition I would like you to take all of the content that we have been discussing in class and use this to explain not only what a database is but how it can benefit a business. As part of this discussion you should also emphasize the concepts of data vs. information and DBMS systems as to how they relate to the field and thus again how a business can achieve some value through their use. This should be an in depth analysis of what a database is and should explore at least the following items in the focus of how they could be used within an organization:

1.     The makeup of a database

a.     Records

b.     Fields

c.      Columns

d.     Tables

2.     Metadata

3.     Data vs. Information

4.     DBMS

5.     Redundancy

6.     Anomalies

7.     Data Dictionaries

8.     Integrity rules

9.     Query languages

10. Relational databases

b.     In the previous argument, you were tasked with defining a database centered on how it can be used within a business and the benefits that can be derived there in. If we take the stance, that databases are not only beneficial but necessary in the modern business then we have to develop a formalized structure to design them. Similar to what you did in the first question above I would like you to define the concept of database design in a complete manner that integrates the areas we discussed throughout this semester.

2.     The second chapter in this section is focused on data models, which begin the analysis stage that must be present before design can begin. The following questions are from chapter 2:

a.     Before you can design anything, you first need to collect a large amount information to determine what is needed and what the new information system will actually do. This analysis stage is critical and is often where designers fail and thus build poor systems. Fortunately, there are many structured methods that can be conducted to achieve these goals. The first of these that was discussed is that of using data models.

a.     Before you can start to build these data models, you need to collect and analyze the business rules. These are going to establish the foundation of your database and start to illustrate the relationships between the items. We have defined these business rules in other assignments so that is not the focus however, I want you to explain how you will gather and use these rules. Create a business scenario that illustrates how you would discover these rules within an organization and the methods that you would use to transfer these items into data models.

b.     Once you gather all of these business rules you will begin to have an idea of what are going to be the general needs of your database and what tables and attributes you will be dealing with. Before you start to bring all of this, together you need to plan out the structure of these tables and the first step in this process is using proper naming conventions. How will you use naming conventions to enhance the structure of your tables and illustrate the relationships between tables? Take the business scenario from the above question and use this to illustrate your usage of naming conventions.

c.     The bulk of the chapter 2 covers the concept of various database models and these have been discussed in other areas throughout this course so they will not be brought up here. One of the items however, that needs to be understood is the level of data abstraction. To be able to properly design a database we need to truly understand the data and its structure. One of the best ways we have to define data structures is to understand the various level of data abstractions. The book talks about four levels of abstraction those being: external, conceptual, internal, and physical. Take the scenario you have been using in the previous questions and then apply the abstraction levels to it explaining how they relate to that topic.

Question 2

The second part of the book deals with design concepts. Because relational databases are those that are used the most often in the modern business world the focus of these questions will be on this database style.

1.     The relational database is built on the relation between tables and this is centered on the uses of keys and their connections between entities. Due to this, it is very important that you understand all of the various types of keys and how they interact with each other. We have had a previous question defining all of the various keys so that does not need to be repeated here. Instead, I would like you explain how these keys function within a relational database. Go In depth on keys and their purposes in this regard.

2.     In the last question, you were describing how keys are used in a relational database. As the name implies this database structure is highly reliant on relationships between tables. There are three different relationships that we talked about:

1.     1 to Many

2.     1 to 1

3.     Many to Many

Define how each works by providing an example or scenario that illustrates their meaning.

3.     There is a large portion of this section that is dedicated to the concept of ER modeling. Explain what these models are in detail and why they are useful when it comes to database design.

a.     Describe the process of developing these diagrams. As a method to illustrate this process, use a scenario or example.

b.     Chapter 5 describes methods to add on and extend the ERD. Use the same scenario you developed above to explain these extended areas.

c.     The last chapter in this section is on the topic of normalization. Normalization is a very important because it can allow you fix problems in the data structure of poorly designed tables. It is often the case that we may be asked to fix an existing database and due to this, the process of normalization is one of the most important concepts to retain. To demonstrate your understanding of this please describe how normalization works and the steps involved. As part of this explanation go through the process explaining how to take a table up to the third normal form and explain the reverse process of denormalization and why it is done. Once your explanation is complete, I want you to think on how you could use this process in the future to fix tables and database structures.

d.     All of the above deals with working with relational databases and designing and planning out a well-designed structure within these. After all of this consideration and answering questions on relational databases what is your ultimate view on this style? What do you like? What do you dislike? If you had to design a database for a business tomorrow, would you select a relational database? Why/Why not? Conclude with any other thoughts.

Question 3

The final section that we will cover in the book deals with SQL and some additional design concepts, answer the following questions on this topic:

1.     Explain what a query language is and how is it useful to us in database and information systems?

2.     One of the most common query language is that of SQL, I want you to explain what SQL is and how it operates in nonprofessional terms. If possible, as part of your explanation use an analogy or example to illustrate your point.

3.     As the explanation of SQL in the book we learned that there is an ANSI standard however many companies have taken the basic of this language and have put their own spin on it. In class, we have discussed many of these options such as Access, MYSQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. What I would like you to do is conduct some research between different options and select a piece of SQL software that you would choose to use within your own business. Explain your research and defend why you made that selection.

4.     There are many different commands that we have discussed as part of this class. What I would like you to do is take the style of SQL you chose above and pick five commands of your choosing and explain them and their syntax in detail. Provide an example of each to demonstrate the usage.

5.     As part of commands, you are able to include sub queries within an established query. Explain the rules for sub queries and how they function. Provide an example to detail your explanation.

6.     Commands are part of the picture however; there is also a large amount of functions. Explain what a SQL function does and how they are used. Again, provide an example.

7.     The final chapter in this section and the last focus of this class will be on the summary of the database development life cycle. Please summarize this process and explain the areas of conceptual, logical, and physical design.

Attached Files: | - KVCC BUS210_DatabaseDesignMgt_Final Exam.pdf