Click this link below to access Rachy and Ethan’s project task about databases. The following link is from my photobucket accont and takes you directly to the short speech/video.  If any problems feel free to comment. Enjoy!

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Planning and using a database

1.      Describe the tool called a data dictionary.

Where a description of each field in a database, including field name, field width, data type and description of purpose

 2.      Create a form (like in Woofu) to capture data for a survey on favourite television shows. Include at least 3 different data entry components.

3.      Draw a data dictionary which is based on your form.

4.      Define the term ‘filter’.

A process that translates the form of the data in the database during a query  to display the output from the query.

5.      Explain why it is not a good idea to store First name and Surname together in one field.

it is not good to have your first name and last name in the  field because if someone has the first name of Andrew and another person has a last name of Andrews the data will get mixed up.

6.      Describe what happens when you create a database table without selecting a primary key.

7.      Describe what a field with type ‘Auto number’ does. An Auto number automatically numbers each field with a individual number

8.      Describe the problem if a user enters “Comedy” and “comedy” into the Genre field of a database.

If a user does both the comedys above the table will involve two comedy fields.

9.      Define the term ‘query’.

In general, a query is a form of questioning, in a line of inquiry.

Mail merge

1.      Describe the process of creating a mail merge.

The process of creating a mail merge is carries out using a word processing document. The template is the word processing document which contains fixed text. the data source is usually a spreadhseet or database which has fields and columns to matching te variables in the template. When a mail merge is run, it creates an output document for each row, but substituting data variables in the template with the values from the matching columns.

 2.      Describe the benefits of a mail merge. Benefits of a mail merge are: they are consistent documents, they maintain data in a spreadhseet, and they import data into fields and generate one document per record

Parts of a Database

1.      The diagram below is referred to as a database hirarchy.

2.      Define the term ‘record’.

A collection of facts about an entity in a database, made up of one or more related fields.

3.      Define the term ‘field’.

A subdivision of a record contaning a specified piece of data.

4.      Define the term ‘form’.

Usually a database layout in which a single record is displayed.

5.      Define the term ‘primary key’.

A unique identifier, often an integer, that labels a certain row in a table of a relational database.

6.      Describe the purpose of a primary key.

The purpose of a primary key is to relate databases.

7.      Identify the TWO ways we can sort data in a database.

Two ways we can sort data in a database is forms and reports.

Data Types

1.      Identify FOUR different data types that can be stored in a database.

• number

• text

• hyperlink

• currency

2.      Identify the TWO different values that a Boolean field can store.

Yes and no.

Potential Questions for Assessment

Introduction to Databases

1.      Define the term ‘database’.

Database is an organised collection of data items which may be accessed by a database mangement system.

2.      Identify an example of a manual database.

An example of a manual database system is an address book.

3.      Describe the disadvantages of a manual database.

A disadvantage of a manual database is it may be misplaced and you may lose all entries that you may have made.

4.      Name an example of a database program.

An example of a database program is Mircosoft Access.

5.      Define the term ‘dbms’.

A database mangement system; a database that consists of serval linked files called tables. 

6.      Describe ONE method to protect an electronic database.

You can protect the database by backing it up.

7.      Identify THREE advantages of an electronic database.

• Easily accessed

• Easier to backup

• Easier to use.

8.      Define the term ‘flat file’.

A file consisting of records of a single record type.

9.      Define the term ‘data’.

An individual fact than can be input, stored, processed, output and retrieved from a computer.

10. Define the term ‘information’.

Data that has been organised in a way that is meaningful to the user is called information.