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Database Exam For Senior Five Computer Science

This document provides an exam for a database course at the senior 5 level. It outlines the structure of the exam which has 3 sections: Section A requires students to answer all questions, Section B requires students to choose 3 questions to answer, and Section C is compulsory. The document provides sample questions that may be asked in each section, covering topics such as defining database terms, distinguishing between logical and physical data independence, examples of database software, functions of RDBMS, steps for database design, and categories of database actors. It also includes a marking guide that provides short answers to the sample questions.

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Christian AMANI
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91 views

Database Exam For Senior Five Computer Science

This document provides an exam for a database course at the senior 5 level. It outlines the structure of the exam which has 3 sections: Section A requires students to answer all questions, Section B requires students to choose 3 questions to answer, and Section C is compulsory. The document provides sample questions that may be asked in each section, covering topics such as defining database terms, distinguishing between logical and physical data independence, examples of database software, functions of RDBMS, steps for database design, and categories of database actors. It also includes a marking guide that provides short answers to the sample questions.

Uploaded by

Christian AMANI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INTERSCHOOL EXAM OF ----DATABASE --------------

LEVEL: SENIOR 5

TERM:1ST

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2014

TIME: 3HOURS

_____________________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS:

- This exam has three sections: A, B and C


- Section A: answer all the questions (55 marks)
- Section B: choose three section to answer (30 marks)
- Section C: this question is compulsory (15points)

SECTION A: ATTEMPT ALL NUMBERS/55Marks

1. Define the terms below:


a) Database
b) Entity
c) Database actor
d) Data independence
2. Distinguish between physical data independence and logical data independence
3. Provide only five examples of database you may know
4. Differentiate between RDB and RDBMS
5. a.What is database model?
b. Outline any four different types of database model

6. Provide only five examples of software which can be used in database creation and
maintenance

7. a. what is DBMS?

b. list 4 operations that can be performed on the database

8. List 4 categories of database end-user

9. Give at least five disadvantages of traditional way of storing information.

10. Differentiate between property and occurrence

11. Differentiate between data and information

SECTION B: ATTEMPT ANY 3 NUMBERS/30Marks

12. List and explain any five functions of RDBMS

13. Briefly, give and explain steps of designing a good database

14. According to the benefit and usefulness of database give a short explanation to each of the
following arguments:
a. Control data redundancy

b. Enforcing integrity constraint

c. Concurrent transactions

d. Data consistency

e. Data recovery after breakdown

15. If you were a database administrator (DBA), what measures would you put in place to ensure
the safety of information in the company database?

SECTION C: THIS SECTION IS COMPULSORY/15Marks

16. Give different categories of database actors and provide the duties of each of them
MARKING GUIDE FOR DATABASE EXAM SENIOR FIVE TERM 1 2014

SECTION A: ATTEMPT ALL NUMBERS/55Marks

1. Define the terms below

a. Database: a database is a collection of data that is organized so that its contents can
easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
b. Entity: An entity is a type of element (object, individual…) of the real world defined
by:
- An independent existence and relevance to organizational study
- Multiple occurrences(that is to say at least two),
- Properties (at least one) with an identifier.
c. Database Actor: Are people whose jobs involved day to day use of a large database
d. Data independence: The separation of data from the program that use the data.
2. Physical independence: The ability to modify physical level without changing the logical
(conceptual) level.
Logical independence: The ability to change logical (conceptual) schema without
changing the external schema (user view).
3. Examples of database
A database is used in wide number of applications. Some of them are as follows:
• Banking-- For customers’ information, accounts, loans and other banking transactions
• Airlines-- For reservation and schedule information
• Universities-- For students’ information, course registration, grades etc.
• Credit card transaction-- For purchase of credit cards and generation of monthly
statements
• Telecommunication-- For keeping records of calls made, generating monthly bill etc.
• Finance-- For storing information about holdings, sales and purchase of financial
statements
• Sales-- For customer, product and purchase information
• Human resource-- For recording information about employees, salaries, tax, benefits,
…..
4. RDB (Relational Database): A relational database is a way of organizing data such that it
appears to the user to be stored in a series of interrelated tables. Whereas RDBMS
(Relational Database Management System).is a software for managing data stored in
interrelated tables.
5. a. database model is a collection of concepts used to describe the structure of a database
b. types of database model
hierarchical model
network model
relational model
flat model
6. SQL
MySQL
Ms Access
Foxpro
Oracle
7. a. DBMS(Database Management System) is a software that controls the creation,
maintenance, and the use of a database. It operates databases, providing storage, access,
security, backup and other facilities.

b.Basic operations performed on the Database


Insert: store new information into database
Update: modify the content of Database
Delete: remove object from database
Select: view content of database
8. categories of database end-user
Casual end-user
Parametric end-user
Sophisticated end-user
Stand-alone end-user
9. disadvantages of traditional way of storing information
Data inconsistency
Difficult in accessing data
No control of data duplication
Concurrent access anomalies
Integrity problems
Security problems
Data isolation
10. A property is the smallest significant piece of information that can be manipulated by the
database designer. While occurrence is the value or the content of a property.
11. Data means Known facts that can be recorded and have an implicit meaning or elements
that can be manipulated by a computer. But Information means data after manipulation by
a computer (Output).

SECTION B: ATTEMPT ANY THREE NUMBERS/30 MARKS

12. Functions of RDBMS

Physical data structure management


Users don’t need to think about equipment or location that stores data.
Logical data structure management
RDBMS manages tables and the relation between the tables as the structure of RDB
Data integrity management
RDBMS controls consistency of data while multiple users simultaneously access the
same data
Data security management
RDBMS can control data availability by granting users access privileges
Data manipulation management
RDBMS provides easy access to databases using database manipulation languages
13. steps of designing a good database
Conceptual level: this level describes the logical structure of whole database by using
different concepts like:
Entity, occurrence, properties, cardinalities, relationships or associations.

Logical level: this describes how data are actually stored and how they can be accessed.
Physical level: in this level there exist a number of views which is defined apart of actual
database by using the different DBMS.

14. a) Control data redundancy


Data redundancy means that same information is duplicated in several files. database
can thus be used to avoid data duplication
b) Enforcing integrity constraint
Integrity constraint ensures the quality of the data in the database (accuracy and
consistency of stored data)
c) Concurrent transactions
This means that many users can simultaneously access the same data.
d)Data consistency
Data consistency is when different copies of the same information are matching
e) Data recovery after breakdown
This means the ability of getting back the information after any accidental loss
It includes detecting failures due to power failure, disk crash, software errors and
restoring database to its state before failure.
15. Database Administrator
Perform daily backup
Perform daily database maintenance
Perform database authentication for database users
Install antivirus software

SECTION C: THIS SECTION IS COMPULSORY/15Marks

16. Different categories of database actors


Database administrators (DBA)
Authorizing Access to the database
Coordinating and monitoring its use
Acquiring software and hardware as needed
Solving problems such as breach of security or poor system performance
Database designers/modelers
Identifying the data to be stored
Choosing appropriate data structure
End-users
Access to the database: querying, updating, generating reports.
Software engineers
Developing application programs
System Analysts
System analysts determine the requirements of end-users and develop specifications for
transactions
Application programmers
Application programmers implement these specification and programs.

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