Database Basics

  Describe the basic organization of a database.   Summarize advantage to using database software.   Define GIGO, and explain how it relates to the quality of a database.   Give examples of how to manage information in database.   Describe the features of a report template. Objectives

  Data type   Database   Field   Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)   Record   Table   Database Management System (DBMS)   Flat-File Database Key Terms

  Key Field   Object-Oriented database   Relational Database   Sort   Ascending order   Information overload   Report   Report Template Key Terms

What is a Database? Databases make it easy to store, add, organize, and retrieve information. Introduction

Records – The data in each table is further split into smaller units that contain related information about one individual or item. Field – Each separate piece of data that is stored in a record – a student’s last name, and first name. It is the smallest element in a database. Data Type – limited kind of information that can be entered into a field. The Essentials of a Database

GIGO – is short for “garbage in, garbage out.” It means that if the information placed in a database is wrong, anyone using that information will get the wrong results. Database Management System – is software used to manage the storage, organization, processing, and retrieval of data in a database. Example: FileMaker Pro 12 Flat-file database – allows you to work with data in only one table. The Essentials of a Database

Flat File Database

Relational Database – can use data from several tables at the same time. This is because the tables linked by a key field. Key Field - a field that is found in each of the tables. Ascending order – data can be sorted, in which an example would be values increase, such as A,B,C or 1,2,3. The Essentials of a Database

Relational Database

Table – A database has one or more tables, just as a file cabinet may have one or more drawers. Sort – database programs are superior to paper databases in part because the information can be sorted in different ways. Object-Oriented Databases – databases that store objects, such as documents, video clips, and audio clips. The Essentials of a Database

Object Oriented Database

Multimedia Databases – serves as an index to all the separately stores files similar to a book index. Data Security – The same features that make databases efficient tools make them vulnerable to invasions of privacy. Personal information can be misused. Requiring users to input a password so they can access data which is one way of keeping a database secure. The Essentials of a Database

Data Redundancy – Repeating the same data in many tables wastes space by requiring a computer to store the same information more than once. Information Overload – can be reduced or prevented if the information is summarized so that Database users are not overwhelmed by details. Chronological Order – dates and times are sorted in this way. The Essentials of a Database

Multi-Sorts – allows you to tailor the reports generated from a database. Report Template – a pattern that controls how data will be displayed. This typically has several main features: Report header – appears at the beginning of a report, such as the report title. Report footer – appears at the end of a report, such as summary totals or averages The Essentials of a Database

Page header – appears at the top of each page, such as field headings Page footer – appears at the bottom of each page, such as the date the report was printed and the page number the arrangement of the data that you want the report to include (Example: books in a library) The Essentials of a Database