Chapter five
Relational Databases
What Is a Database?
Efficiently and centrally coordinates information for a related group of files
A file is a related group of records
A record is a related group of fields
A field is a specific attribute of interest for the entity (record)
Advantages of Databases
Data is integrated and easy to share
Minimize data redundancy
Data is easily accessed for reporting and cross functional analysis
Database Users and Designers
Different users of the database information are at an external level of the database. These
users have logical views of the data.
At an internal level of the database is the physical view of the data which is how the data
is actually physically stored in the system.
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Designers of a database need to understand user’s needs and the conceptual level of the
entire database as well as the physical view.
Database Design
To design a database, you need to have a conceptual view of the entire database. The
conceptual view illustrates the different files and relationships between the files.
The data dictionary is a “blueprint” of the structure of the database and includes data
elements, field types, programs that use the data element, outputs, and so on
DBMS Languages
Data Definition Language (DDL)
Builds the data dictionary
Creates the database
Describes logical views for each user
Data Manipulation Language (DML)
Changes the content in the database
Creates, updates, insertions, and deletions
Data Query Language (DQL)
Enables users to retrieve, sort, and display specific data from the database
Relational Database
Represents the conceptual and external schema as if that “data view” were truly stored in
one table.
Although the conceptual view appears to the user that this information is in one big
table, it is really a set of tables that relate to one another
Conceptual view example
Customer Name Sales Invoice# Invoice Total
D. Ainge 101 $1,447
G. Kite 102 $4,394
D. Ainge 103 $898
G. Kite 104 $789
F. Roberts 105 $3,994
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Relational Data Tables
Primary
Keys Foreign (Customer # is a
key
Key in the Foreign
Sales Table because
Prima
it is a key that uniquely
Customers
ry in the
identifies Customer
Because
Table). of this, the Sales Table can
to the Customer Table (see red
relate
above
arrow
).
Why Have a Set of Related Tables?
Data stored in one large table can be redundant and inefficient causing the following problems:
Update anomaly
Insert anomaly
Delete anomaly
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Relational Database Design Rules
Every column in a row must be single valued
Primary key cannot be null (empty) also known as entity integrity
IF a foreign key is not null, it must have a value that corresponds to the value of a
primary key in another table (referential integrity)
All other attributes in the table must describe characteristics of the object identified by
the primary key
Following these rules allows databases to be normalized and solves the update, insert, and delete
anomalies.
Queries
Users may want specific information found in a relational database and not have to sort
through all the files to get that information. So they query (ask a question) the data.
An example of a query might be: What are the invoices of customer D. Ainge and who
was the salesperson for those invoices?
Creating the Query
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Query Answer
Database Design Using the REA Data Model
Database Design Process
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Data Modeling
Process of defining a database so that it faithfully represents all aspects of the
organization, including its interactions with the external environment.
Entity-relationship (E-R) diagrams
REA data model
REA Modeling
Resources
Things that have economic value to the organization (e.g., inventory, cash)
Events
Various business activities that management wants to collect information on
Agents
People and organizations that participate in events (both internal (e.g., employees) and
external (e.g., customers/vendors) to the organization
REA Basic Template
Creating an REA Model
Identify relevant events :-Give-get exchange (economic duality)
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Identify resources and agents
Resource reduced in give event
Resource acquired in get event
Determine cardinalities of relationships
Nature of the relationship between the two entities
