Questions and Answers of Database Design For Mere Mortals

Why should you review all of your completed Business Rule Specifications sheets?
What is the association between a business rule and a validation table?
What is the typical structure of a validation table?
What is the purpose of a validation table?
What is the purpose of the Action Taken section of a Business Rule Specifications sheet?
State two advantages a Business Rule Specifications sheet provides.
How do you document a business rule?
When is a business rule tested?
What is a field-specific business rule?
What are the two categories of database-oriented business rules?
Can you establish application-oriented business rules within the logical design of the database?
Name the two major types of business rules.
What fact makes the relational database structurally sound and able to guarantee accurate information?
Which types of computer software programs should you review during the analysis?
Name the two main types of databases in use today.
What type of data does an analytical database store?
True or False: An operational database is used primarily in online transaction processing (OLTP) scenarios.
Name one of the branches of mathematics on which the relational model is based.
How does a relational database store data?
Name the three types of relationships in a relational database.
How do you retrieve data in a relational database?
State two advantages of a relational database.
What is a relational database management system?
True or False: Mobile devices are limited to gigabytes of storage.
State why database software companies have had a hard time implementing the relational database.
When is the best time to use an RDBMS program’s design tools?
What is the most detrimental result of improper database design?
State two advantages of learning a design methodology.
True or False: You will use your RDBMS program more effectively if you understand database design.
State two objectives of good design.
What helps to guarantee that data structures and their values are valid and accurate at all times?
State two benefits of applying good design techniques.
True or False: You can take shortcuts through some of the design processes and still arrive at a good, sound design.
Why is terminology important?
Name the four categories of terms.
What does Null represent?
What is the major disadvantage of Null?
What are the chief structures in the database?
Name the three types of tables.
State the difference between a key and an index.
What are the three types of relationships that can exist between a pair of tables?
What are the three ways in which you can characterize a relationship?
What is a field specification?
What three types of elements does a field specification incorporate?
Name the four types of data integrity.
Why is it important to complete the design process thoroughly?
True or False: The level of structural integrity is in direct proportion to how thoroughly you follow the design process.
What are mission objectives?
What constitutes your organization’s fundamental data requirements?
How do you determine the various subjects that the tables will represent?
True or False: You establish field specifications for each field in the database during the second phase of the database design process.
How do you establish a logical connection between the tables in a relationship?
What determines a set of limitations and requirements that you must build into the database?
What can you design and implement to support certain business rules?
How do you determine the types of views you need to build in the database?
When can you implement your logical structure in an RDBMS program?
Why are interviews important?
What problem can arise when you conduct an interview with a large number of people?
What is the primary reason for conducting separate interviews with users and management?
True or False: You’ll commonly use closed questions in your interviews.
What kind of responses should you try to evoke from the interview participants?
What is the single most important guideline for every interview you conduct?
State two characteristics of a well-written mission statement.
True or False: You need not learn about the organization to compose a mission statement.
When is your mission statement complete?
What is a mission objective?
State two characteristics of a well-written mission objective.
True or False: You should interview users and management to help you define mission objectives.
How does the staff’s daily work relate to the mission objectives?
True or False: A mission objective can describe more than one task.
State two ways that a mission objective can be derived from a response.
When is a mission objective complete?
State two goals of analyzing the current database.
True or False: You can adopt the current database structure as the basis for the new structure.
What is a legacy database?
State two steps of the analysis process.
Why should you conduct interviews after you gather data collection and information presentation samples?
How do you use “open-ended” and “closed” questions?
What is the Subject-Identification Technique?
How do you identify specific attributes for a particular subject?
True or False: You should interview users and management at the same time.
What three basic types of information requirements must you identify?
What is the Preliminary Field List?
State why each item on the Preliminary Field List should have a unique name.
What is a value list?
What are calculated fields? What (if anything) should you do about them?
Why do you use the Preliminary Field List to help you define tables for the database?
What action do you take when an item on the list of subjects and a differently named item on the Preliminary Table List both represent the same subject?
State three guidelines for creating table names.
State two guidelines for composing table descriptions.
How do you assign fields to a table on the Final Table List?
State three guidelines for creating field names.
What two problems can poorly designed fields cause?
What can you use to resolve field anomalies?
State three of the Elements of the Ideal Field.
Under what condition is redundant data acceptable?
In general terms, what three steps do you follow to resolve a multivalued field?
When is it necessary to use a duplicate field in a table?
How can you refine table structures?
State three of the Elements of the Ideal Table.

Showing 1 - 100 of 156