Download Database Study Guide Part I

Database Study Guide Part I
8th grade Technology Class
Assessment Study for Database Terms and Visual table examples
Jane Alexander
2011
A database holds large amounts of information that you would want to organize.
Data can be arranged for easy and quick searching and retrieval. A database can
be used for keeping track of video game or movie collections, friends’ contact
information, recipes and inventories for businesses. Schools keep track of student
information such as contact, grades, classes etc. Have you ever bought something
from a store and they ask you for your phone number or zip code? That
information is put into a database and stored for marketing future products to the
customer.
One example in the school is our computer system in the library. It is a database
that keeps track of all of our books, who has checked them out, what is available
for checkout, and at the end of the year when all of the books have been turned in,
an inventory sheet will be printed off showing what books are in the Easy Section,
the Intermediate Section and the Junior High Section. The report can be in
ascending, alphabetical order by author (to match the order of the books on the
shelves) so that each book can be properly shelved and accounted for to be ready
for the next school year. Any missing items can be traced back to the student and
returned or marked as “lost” and paid for so a replacement can be purchased.
So although we don’t actually see database information in front of us, one is
probably being used in almost every aspect of our lives.
Database Examples and vocabulary terms
Field: A category of information. This would be a specific column.
Record: A collection of related fields and entries. A row describing each item.
Entry: Data that is keyed into a field. Number or text in the proper field.
File: A set of related records in a data base.
Operators: < (less than), > (greater than), = (equal to). These are used in
searching or filtering certain information. Example: in a student information
database, all students 10 years of age or older >= 10 (greater than or equal to 10)
Connectors: AND, OR or AND/OR that are used in a search.
Sort: Arranging information in a specific order according to a specific field. Sort
can be ascending or descending.
Ascending order: Information that is arranged in order from A-Z or lowest to
highest. Remember Jesus ASCENDED into Heaven.
Descending order: Information that is arranged in order from Z-A or highest to
lowest. Remember Jesus DESCENDED into Hell.
Database Table Example #1
Label the sample database below using the vocabulary from above.
Field
Record
Entry
File (Name of table)
How is information sorted? By__________ in _______________ order.
Ascending or descending
Which record is “active”?_____ How can you tell?________________________
Database Table Example #2
This view is in another type of software application so the menu looks a little
differently.
Answer the following questions using the graphic above.
What record # is Arvin?______
What is the File name? ____________
Is the information being sorted? __________ If so, by what field and what
order?______________________________________________________
What record number is active?_____
Can you tell if the information has been filtered in any way?_______ If so,
how?_______________________________________________________
In our next session, we will look at how to sort and filter