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Database
Types of database programs
Charles w. Bachman
Well- Designed Databases
Database Management Systems
Types of database programs
Daabase Techniques summarize as you to
help you summarize technique for using
databases effectivel
Browsing Data
Sorying Data
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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
8–2 Types of Database Programs
 Lesson Review
 For more review questions, click the
Lesson Review icon. Then, print and
complete the worksheet
 database management system (DBMS)
flat-file database sort relational
database key field object-oriented
database
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I received my first computer when I was in the army in
1943. Since then, I would never have dreamed where the
industry would go. I believe that databases . . . will always
be there because we need to maintain our inventory of
information. I also believe that data communications is
essential in tying the people of the world together.”
Charles W. Bachman
Database Developer
Called “the father of database management,” Charles W.
Bachman is known for his work with database technology
in the early 1960s. While working at General Electric, he
developed the Integrated Data Store (IDS), the first
successful database management system.
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For databases to be effective, they need to
be planned carefully. Following are three
characteristics of good database design:
Ensuring 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 before
they can access data is one way of keeping a
database secure.
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A database management system, or DBMS, is software
used to manage the storage, organization, processing,
and retrieval of data in a database. There are several
kinds of database management programs, including
flat-file databases, relational databases, object-oriented
databases, and multimedia databases.
Flat-File Databases A flat-file database allows you to
work with data in only one table. A computerized
address book is one example. In flat-file databases,
records can be retrieved randomly. That is, you can look
for just one name on a list. You can also retrieve an
entire table and sort the data, or arrange it in a
different order. You might sort to find all the people
living in the same town, for example.
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Think about a relational database a
school might have. One table might hold
all students’ schedules. Another might
have all their grades. Yet another table
might include their addresses and phone
numbers. All the tables can be linked by a
key field: each student’s name or student
identification number. By using key fields,
administrators can find data about a
particular student from any available
table.
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Multimedia Databases Traditional databases
can store all kinds of text and numerical data.
Today’s computers also often deal with pictures,
sounds, animation, or video clips. Multimedia
professionals use databases to catalog media
files, such as art, photographs, maps, video
clips, and sound files. Media files themselves
generally are not stored in databases because
they are too large. Instead, a multimedia
database serves as an index to all the separately
stored files. Users can search through the index
and then locate the particular file they want
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I received my first computer when I was in the army in
1943. Since then, I would never have dreamed where
the industry would go. I believe that databases . . . will
always be there because we need to maintain our
inventory of information. I also believe that data
communications is essential in tying the people of the
world together.”
Charles W. Bachman
Database Developer
Called “the father of database management,” Charles W.
Bachman is known for his work with database
technology in the early 1960s. While working at General
Electric, he developed the Integrated Data Store (IDS),
the first successful database management system.
.
 For
databases to be effective, they
need to be planned carefully.
Following are three characteristics of
good database design:
 Ensuring 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
before they can access data is one
way of keeping a database secure.
Lesson Review
 For more review questions, click the
Lesson Review icon. Then, print and
complete the worksheet.

Give examples of how to manage
information in databases.
 Compare and contrast browsing,
sorting, and querying data in a
database.
 Describe the features oSummarize As
you read the lesson, use a chart to
help you summarize techniques for
using databases effectively.
 f a report template.
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Computers can produce too much
information, or information overload.
Database creators can help manage
data by:
 summarizing information so that
database users are not overwhelmed
by details
 including in reports only the data that
meets specific information needs
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Putting data into a database is of little help if
you cannot retrieve it when you need it. One
way to find data is to browse, or look through,
all the records. Databases can display data like a
spreadsheet, with each record occupying a row
and each field in a column. You can also display
each record on a separate screen.
Many database programs provide keyboard
commands and other tools, such as scroll bars
and navigation buttons, that help users browse
quickly through records. You can also limit the
browsing so that the program displays only
certain records and fields. This can greatly
reduce the time it takes to locate or review
specific records.
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Another way to save time is to sort the data.
Sorting lets you locate information quickly.
Types of Sorting Databases can sort data in one
of three ways:
Alphabetical sorting of letters and symbols
Numerical sorting of numbers and values
Chronological sorting of dates and times
Data can be sorted in ascending order, in which
values increase, such as A, B, C or 1, 2, 3. It can
also be sorted the opposite way, in descending
order. In this order, values decrease. Letters are
listed C, B, and A, and numbers are sorted 3, 2,
and 1.
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A benefit that database software
has over paper databases is the
ease with which reports can be
created. A report is an ordered list of
selected records and fields in an
easy-to-read format. Reports can
display data in columns, as labels, or
as single records. Reports are
usually printed on paper.
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generate a report, the
database software uses the
appropriate data currently in its
tables. If you print the same
report at a later time, it might
contain different data reflecting
whatever changes were made
when the database was
updated.
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Designing a Report Template In most databases, users
design a report template, a pattern that controls how data
will be displayed. This template typically has several main
features:
a report header that appears at the beginning of a report,
such as the report title
a report footer that appears at the end of a report, such as
summary totals or averages
a page header that appears at the top of each page, such
as field headings
a page footer that 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
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Designing a Report Template In most
databases, users design a report template, a
pattern that controls how data will be displayed.
This template typically has several main
features:
a report header that appears at the beginning of
a report, such as the report title
a report footer that appears at the end of a
report, such as summary totals or averages
a page header that appears at the top of each
page, such as field headings
a page footer that appears at the bottom of each
page, such as the date the report was printed
and the page number

For more review questions, click the
Lesson Review icon. Then, print and
complete the worksheet.
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Directions: Choose one of the following projects.
Complete the exercises on a separate sheet of paper.
A. Select a magazine in your school library and create a
database of the articles featured in that issue. Include such
fields as author, title, topic, and starting page number. Add
another field for date of the issue, and add some records
from another issue of the same magazine. Create a report
that displays the data you input. After printing your report,
find another way of presenting the data and print that
report. Save your database.
B. In small groups, make an appointment to visit a local
business. Interview the owner or a key employee about
the databases that the business uses. Find out what
tables, records, and fields the databases have.
•Describe the basic organization of a
database.
•Summarize advantages to using database
software.
•Define GIGO and explain how it relates to
the quality of a database.
As You Read
Organize Information As you read the
lesson, use a concept web to help you
organize basic facts about databases.
Flat-File Databases A flat-file database allows you to work
with data in only one table. A computerized address book is
one example. In flat-file databases, records can be
retrieved randomly. That is, you can look for just one name
on a list. You can also retrieve an entire table and sort the
data, or arrange it in a different order. You might sort to find
all the people living in the same town, for example.
bFlat-file databases have a
limitation. The data in one table
cannot be linked to the data in
another table. That might not be a
problem with a simple address ook.
However, many businesses and
other large organizations use
databases in more complex ways,
and they need added flexibility