By Osvaldo, Hector, and Frank

Database Basics  What Is a Database?  What do the following things have in common: an address book, a telephone directory, a list of family birthdays, and a catalog of DVDs? For one thing, each can be stored in a database, or an organized collection of information. Databases can exist on paper or on a computer. Computerized databases can be huge, containing information on millions of items. A computerized database is an ideal tool for making use of huge amounts of existing data.

 Databases :make it easy to store, add, organize, and retrieve information. Suppose a worker has to find the account number for a customer. Imagine how much time that worker saves if he or she can find the information simply by typing the customer’s name instead of searching through piles of paper!

Vocabulary Preview: How many vocabulary words do you already know? To test your knowledge of this chapter’s key terms,

Vocabulary  database  Table  record  field  data type  garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)

Vocabulary  database management system (DBMS)  flat-file database  sort  relational database  key field  object-oriented database

Vocabulary   information overload  browse  ascending order  descending order  Report  report template

Vocabulary  database  an organized collection of information that may or may not be stored in a computer base de datos conjunto organizado de información que puede estar guardado o no en una computadora

Vocabulary  table  the underlying structure of a relational database characterized by rows and columns  tabla  estructura subyacente de una base de datos relacional caracterizada por filas y columnas

Vocabulary  record  a part of a database that holds data about a particular individual or item  registro  parte de una base de datos que contiene datos acerca de un individuo o elemento específico

Vocabulary  field  part of a database that holds an individual piece of data  campo  parte de una base de datos que contiene un dato individual

Vocabulary  data type  settings applied to a database field, which allow the field to store only information of a specific type and/or format  tipo de datos  parámetros que se aplican a un campo de base de datos, que permiten al campo almacenar información de un solo tipo y/o formato específico

Vocabulary  garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)  a phrase that stresses the importance of inputting accurate data in a database  entra basura, sale basura  frase que destaca la importancia de introducir datos precisos en una base de datos

Vocabulary  database management system (DBMS)  a software program used to manage the storage, organization, processing, and retrieval of data in a database  sistema de administración de bases de datos  programa de software que sirve para administrar el almacenamiento, organización, procesamiento y recuperación de datos de una base de datos

Vocabulary  flat-file database  a database that can work with only one table at a time  base de datos de archivos planos  una base de datos que trabaja sólo con un archivo a la vez

Vocabulary  sort  to arrange data in a specific order  ordenar  disponer datos siguiendo un orden específico

Vocabulary  relational database  a database in which shared key fields link data among tables  base de datos relacional  base de datos en la que los campos clave compartidos enlazan datos entre tablas

Vocabulary  key field  an element that links tables in a relational database  campo clave  elemento que enlaza tablas de una base de datos relacional

Vocabulary  information overload  the result of a computer user being overwhelmed by the amount of information generated by his or her computer  sobrecarga de información  lo que ocurre cuando un usuario de computadora se ve abrumado por la cantidad de información que genera su computadora

Vocabulary  browse  to find information in a database by looking at records one at a time  examinar  buscar información en una base de datos revisando los registros uno por uno

Vocabulary  ascending order  the sorting of data by increasing value  orden ascendente  clasificación de los datos en orden de valor creciente

Vocabulary  descending order  the sorting of data by decreasing value  orden descendente  ordenamiento de datos por valor decreciente

Vocabulary  report  an ordered list of selected database records and fields in an easy-to-read format  informe  lista ordenada de una selección de registros y campos de base de datos en un formato de fácil lectura

Vocabulary  report template  a pattern that controls how data will be displayed in a database report  plantilla de informe  patrón que controla la forma de mostrar los datos en un informe de base de datos

Assessment chapter 8  1 Which of the following is not a part of a database? C. fields

 2. In a database, a _____ is a unit of information about one individual or item. B. field

 3 Which of the following is not an advantage of a computerized database?  D. the ability to organize information in different ways

4. What does the term GIGO stand for? C. garbage in, garbage out

 5. Which type of database allows you to work with data in only one table? C. flat-file database

 6. This kind of database can be used to store all kinds of items, such as documents or video clips. A. flat-file database

 7. _____ the same data in multiple tables requires the computer to store more information and increases the chance of errors. B. Avoiding

 8.This means finding data by looking at all the records in a database. B. mining

 9.If you sort data in order of increasing value, such as A– Z or 1–9, what sort order are you using? D. exponential

 10. This is a user-created direction that tells the database to find specific records

 11. A database is an organized collection of information. A. True

 12.Databases typically store all their data in one large table B. False

 13. A field’s data type determines what kind of information can be stored there A. True

 14. A computerized database can store millions of telephone numbers. A. True

 15. One disadvantage of computerized databases is that they limit your ability to arrange information. B. False

 16. The same features that make databases efficient tools also enable them to keep data secure. B. False

 18. The people who create databases can avoid causing information overload by summarizing information so that it does not overwhelm the databases’ users. A. True

 17. Instead of storing the same data in multiple tables, it is more efficient to store the data in one table and link it to other tables. A. True

 19. If you sort a database’s information chronologically, then you are sorting letters and symbols. B. False

 20. A query lets you speed up the browsing process by finding information that matches specific criteria. A. True