1. Business computing
Session 9
Databases

2. Office suite softwares (1)
Word processor : Word, it is a presentation software, and a letter and document preparation software. The main orientation is DISPLAY
Presentation software : PowerPoint, it is also a presentation software, to make slides to support a speech

3. Office suite softwares (2)
Spreadsheet : Excel, it is a software to make calculations on data, particularly on data coming in the form of tables
It is perfectly suited for financial project data (usually columns correspond to years)
It is also a presentation software, and it has graphic capabilities

4. Office suite softwares (3)
Database : Access
A database is a software to store, treat and display ORGANIZED information
What is organized information ? It is information with a repetitive pattern (also called structure)

5. An example A football player card collection.
What data shall we enter for each player ? Zidane, Reccoba, Raul
Lastname : Zidane, Reccoba, Raul
Firstname : Zinedine, Alvaro, Gonzalez
Team : Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Real Madrid
Birthdate : 1972, 1974, 1976
Position in the field : middle attack, middle attack, attack
Nationality : French, Uruguay, Spaniard

6. Example of data with a repetitive structure : a football player card collection
In a football player card collection we enter on each card :
The lastname (for instance : Zidane, or Ronaldo)
The firstname (for instance : Zinedine)
The club (Real Madrid, Real Madrid)
The birthdate (1972, in Marseille, 1976)
The picture
Position in the field

7. Shoeboxes and Databases
A database is the electronic version of a shoebox with cardboard cards
On each card there is information, with the same structure, on an item, or a person
The structured information on each card is contained in FIELDS
In each field there is elementary information
The information contained in the field « birthdate » for the record of Raul is : 1976

8. Terminology The equivalent of a card is called a RECORD
The containers for elementary information on a record are called FIELDS
For example, the content of the field « club » on the record for Michael Owen is Liverpool FC
The collection of records is called a TABLE

9. A football player database
We first of all construct the structure of the table
Then we enter data in the table
Finally we display data using a form
(Note we can also enter new data, and correct data in the form mode)

10. The need for other tables
In our football player db we will have say 1000 players, and say 50 clubs
If for each club we have some information : coach, stadium, turnover, it will be a source of mistake to type again all this information for 20 or 30 players
That’s where we create secondary tables : we will create a table for the clubs