Download Hello

MIS 600: Database Management
Spring 2015
Exam III Study Guideline
Important:
The questions listed here in the guideline may change their values and format when
appear on the exam. I reserve my rights to make further modification, add, and
eliminate any part of the exam. Each question also can be moved from one section to
another.
You are allowed to bring a piece of paper (2 sided) containing your note, while taking
the exam. You are however not allowed to write the answers of the questions listed on
the guideline on your note sheet. Your note sheet will be collected at the end of the
exam. Any form of plagiarism during the exam will result an F of this class.
Studying only the exam guideline will not give you sufficient information to pass the
exam. All teaching materials, including textbook, PP files, and homework, should be
reviewed in order to perform well.
There will also be some questions about definitions. These types of questions are not
listed here.
Exam Format (the format may change); There will be 4 sections in the exam.
Section I: True/False 20 points (10 questions)
Section II: Multiple Choices 20 points (10 questions)
Section III: Short answers 20 points (5 questions)
Section IV: Denormalization 40 points (2 problems)
Note:
The main part of our 3rd exam is from;
Chapter 5 (physical design)
Chapter8 (client/server page 337- 340),
Chapter 12 (Distributed Database)
Chapter 9 (data warehousing)
There are some topics from chapter 6 and 7 (i.e. stored procedures etc.) If they
are from these chapters, I will have it listed as a part of questions in chapter 5
section. To do well on denormalization question, you still have to go back to
chapter 3 and 4.
Parts of the guideline below are the questions from your homework 8.
Chapter 5: Physical Design
Page to be omitted from the book
(page 221- before the topic of “when to use indexes” page 227) The topic is of “when to
use indexes will be included on the exam.
(page 230 – 232)
1. You will be asked to perform denormalization similar to your homework 8.
2. What are the goals of physical design?
3. From your answer in question 2, give 2 examples of activities that we can do to
achieve such goals. Justify your answers by using examples.
4. What are the inputs that we use to perform physical design? Give examples.
5. Why is choosing the right data type also a part of physical design? Choosing the
right data type would allow us to achieve what goal(s)?
6. Give example of using code-look-up table and explain the benefits?
7. What is/are the considerations of using code-look-up tables?
8. Explain what range control is and give example.
9. Explain the differences between horizontal Vs vertical partitioning and their
advantages?
10. Explain the detailed process of setting up indexes, stored procedures, in SQL
server 2005? You also need to be able to explain where to find these elements in
the SQL Server 2005.
11. What are indexes?
12. Do all relations have index(es)? If yes, what are they?
13. What are the rules of thumbs of using indexes?
14. What is/are benefits of using stored procedures?
15. How can we handle missing data?
16. When to use horizontal and when to use vertical partitioning – Give examples?
17. When considering denormalization, what are potential concerns or factors that
come into play in denormalizing decisions? Explain in detail and give examples.
18. Besides using percentage of incoming and outgoing queries across relations,
what are three other opportunities that you should consider when making
denormalizing decisions (give examples in ER diagram format and denormalize
them)?
19. In what situations should we consider using horizontal partitioning?
20. In what situations should we consider using vertical partitioning?
Chapter 8: Client/Server Database Environment
See that pages to be covered above.
1. Explain three different types/architecture of client-server environments
2. What architecture is considered having fat clients and why?
3. In the fat client environment, what is the main responsibility of server?
4. In the file server environment, where do we install DBMS software?
5. Explain limitations of all three C/S architectures in detail?
6. Store procedures can be used at its fullest potential in which C/S architecture?
7. What architecture is considered having thin clients and why?
8. What is middleware?
9. What is/are benefit(s) of moving to client-server environment?
10. In the database server architecture, what are the main responsibilities of the
servers?
11. What is ODBC?
12. Give an example of application server?
13. What are the three components of application logic and which one is being
supported the most by the server in file server environment? Also, think of the
two other architectures.
14. What are limitations in the file server environment?
Chapter 9: Data Warehousing
Page to be omitted.
The topic of Logical data mart and real time data warehouse is omitted (page 393 – 414
before OLAP). Table 9-2 will be included in the exam.
The topic of “the derived data layer” will be omitted.
1. Give an example of data transformation that has to be perform before loading
data to a data warehouse
2. List the differences between data in the operational systems and informational
systems.
3. Explain the definition of data warehouse in detail and give example.
4. What is the length of time that we have to capture for data in the data warehouse
to be able to predict annual trends?
5. What is/are difference (s) between data warehouse/ data mart?
6. Why are we moving toward data warehousing? Explain the factors and benefits?
7. Explain the differences, advantages, disadvantages of independent data mart,
and dependent data mart?
8. Among the two options discussed in problem 7, which one needs more reliable
meta data?
9. What is ETL? Explain in detail and give examples.
10. Explain differences between status Vs event data and give examples? (which
one is used more in data warehouse, give example)
11. Explain differences between transient Vs periodic data and give examples?
12. Is this statement true? A data warehouse centralizes data.
13. What are the sources of data in data warehouse?
Chapter 12: Distributed Database
(No page to be omitted)
Make sure that you download the pdf file from the blackboard.
1. Explain the relationship between physical design techniques and distributed
database architectures
2. List major responsibilities/ functionalities of distributed DBMS software.
3. Give example of business that requires asynchronous distributed database and
synchronous distributed database and justify your answer.
4. What are the differences between centralized, decentralized, and distributed
databases?
5. Why are we moving toward distributed database?
6. Explain differences of homogenous Vs heterogeneous distributed databases?
7. Explain location transparency, local autonomy, failure transparency, concurrency
transparency, replication transparency. Give examples in detail.
8. What are benefits and challenges of using distributed database?
9. What are the techniques that we can use to develop distributed database,
discuss benefits and limitations of each one in detail.
10. What is pull and what is push strategies? Explain their pluses and minuses.
11. What is global schema and what are its responsibilities?