FIT9132 Introduction to Databases

Week 4 Tutorial Suggested Solution

FIT Database Teaching Team

FIT9132 2020 S1

FIT9132 Introduction to Databases

Author: FIT Database Teaching Team

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4.1 The Relational Model
4.1.1 Lead Tutor Explanation Part A

CUSTOMER (CUST_ID, CUST_NAME, CUST_ADDRESS)

ORDER (ORDER_ID, ORDER_DATE, CUST_ID)

Assume a single customer may have any number of orders.

Why would we not just store all the customer and order information in one relation so as to avoid a
join operation?

Doing so would result in substantial data redundancy and would lead to insert, update and delete
anomalies.

1. Relation: A named set of attributes, consisting of a heading and a body. The heading is the
schema, the body is the set of tuples (the state at a point in time)

2. Attribute: A characteristic of an object/entity that we wish to record eg. customer_balance

3. Domain: A set of atomic (indivisible) values from which an attribute's values are drawn.
Consists of a name, data type and data format eg. gender domain: one character string with
allowed values of M and F

4. Tuple: A set of related attributes describing a particular instance of the relation /entity – in file
terminology called a row

5. Degree and cardinality of a relation:

Degree: number of attributes in a relation;

Cardinality: number of tuples

6. Primary key and foreign key:

Primary key: an attribute or minimal set of attributes which uniquely identify each tuple;

Foreign key: an attribute(s) in a relation that exists in the same or another relation as
Primary Key;

4.1.2 Choosing the Primary key

1. In any relation, tuples must be unique. However, in many cases, the set of all the attributes in
a relation is not considered a candidate key. Why not?

Although all of the attributes in a relation is a superkey, the candidate key is selected on the
basis of a minimum superkey. For a given relation there is usually a smaller set of
attributes that provide a superkey so there is no need to consider the full set of attributes as
a starting point.

On the other hand, suppose we do have a relation where the set of all attributes is a
candidate key. In this case, show that this set must, therefore, be the only candidate key
and hence the primary key.

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 If the set of all attributes is a candidate key (ie. a minimum superkey), there can be no other
superkey and hence it must be the only candidate key and the primary key.

2. Underlined attribute(s) is the primary key

ORDER (ORDER_ID, ORDER_DATE, CUST_ID)

ORDERLINE (ORDER_ID, PROD_NO, OL_QTYORDERED, OL_LINEPRICE)
PRODUCT (PROD_NO, PROD_DESC, PROD_UNITPRICE)

The foreign keys are order_id and prod_no in ORDERLINE. order_id in ORDERLINE refers
to order_id in ORDER and prod_no in ORDERLINE refers to prod_no in PRODUCT.

3. Consider a relation that depicts a dental surgery appointment system.

APPOINTMENT (dentist_id, dentist_name, patient_id, patient_name, appointment_datetime,
surgeryroom_no)

Candidate keys:
(dentist_id, appointment_datetime)
(patient_id, appointment_datetime)
(surgeryroom_no, appointment_datetime)
Primary key:
One of the candidate key

4.2 Relational Algebra

4.2.1 Relational Algebra Exercise

HOTEL (HOTEL_NO, HOTEL_NAME, HOTEL_CITY)

ROOM (ROOM_NO, HOTEL_NO, ROOM_TYPE, ROOM_PRICE)
BOOKING (HOTEL_NO, GUEST_NO, BDATE_FROM, BDATE_TO, ROOM_NO)
GUEST (GUEST_NO, GUEST_NAME, GUEST_ADDRESS)

1. List the names and cities of all hotels

Answer1 = π hotel_name, hotel_city HOTEL

2. List all single rooms with a price below $50

Answer2 = σ room_type='single' and room_price < 50 ROOM

3. List the names of all hotels in Melbourne

Answer3 = π hotel_name(σ hotel_city='Melbourne' HOTEL))

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4. List all names of hotels which have presidential suite room

PSuiteNo = π hotel_no (σ room_type = 'presidential suite' ROOM)

Answer4 = π hotel_name (PSuiteNo ⨝ (π hotel_no, hotel_name HOTEL))

or
Answer4 = π hotel_name ((π hotel_no (σ room_type = 'presidential suite' ROOM)) ⨝
(π hotel_no, hotel_name HOTEL))

5. List the price and type of all rooms at the Grosvenor Hotel

GrosvenorNo = π hotel_no (σ hotel_name = 'Grosvenor' HOTEL)

Answer5 = π room_price, room_type (GrosvenorNo ⨝ (π hotel_no, room_price, room_type ROOM))

or
Answer5 = π room_price, room_type ((π hotel_no (σ hotel_name = 'Grosvenor' HOTEL)) ⨝
(π hotel_no, room_price, room_type ROOM))

6. List all names and addresses of guests currently staying in deluxe room of any hotel
(assume that if the guest has a tuple in the BOOKING relation, then they are currently
staying in the hotel)

DeluxeNo = π hotel_no, room_no (σ room_type = 'deluxe' ROOM)

GuestDeluxeNo = π guest_no (DeluxeNo ⨝ (π guest_no, hotel_no, room_no BOOKING))

Answer6 = π guest_name, guest_address (GuestDeluxeNo ⨝ GUEST)
or
Answer6 = π guest_name, guest_address ((π guest_no ((π hotel_no, room_no (σ room_type = 'deluxe' ROOM)) ⨝
(π guest_no, hotel_no, room_no BOOKING))) ⨝ GUEST)

7. List all names and addresses of guests currently staying at the Grosvenor Hotel (assume
that if the guest has a tuple in the BOOKING relation, then they are currently staying in the
hotel)

GrosvenorNo = π hotel_no (σ hotel_name = 'Grosvenor' HOTEL)

GrosvenorBookings = π guest_no (GrosvenorNo ⨝ (π guest_no, hotel_no BOOKING))

Answer7 = π guestl_name, guest_address (GrosvenorBookings ⨝ GUEST)
or
Answer7 = π guest_name, guess_address ((π guest_no ((π hotel_no (σ hotel_name = 'Grosvenor' HOTEL)) ⨝
(π guest_no, hotel_no BOOKING))) ⨝ GUEST)

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4.2.2 Relational Algebra Operators

NATURAL JOIN of ORDER and CUSTOMER

– CUSTOMER table:

Cust_ID Name
1 Green
2 Blue

ORDER table:

Ord_ID Date Cust_ID

1 23-Feb-2014 1
2 26-Feb-2014 1
3 26-Feb-2014 2

Step 1: Cartesian Product

Name C.Cust_ID O.Cust_ID Ord_ID Date

Green 1 1 1 23-Feb-2014
Blue 2 1 1 23-Feb-2014
Green 1 1 2 26-Feb-2014
Blue 2 1 2 26-Feb-2014
Green 1 2 3 26-Feb-2014
Blue 2 2 3 26-Feb-2014

Step 2: Select C.Cust_ID = O.Cust_ID (note this is an Equi Join)

Name C.Cust_ID O.Cust_ID Ord_ID Date

Green 1 1 1 23-Feb-2014
Green 1 1 2 26-Feb-2014
Blue 2 2 3 26-Feb-2014

Step 3: Project away one of the Cust_ID columns

Final result (Natural Join):

Cust_ID Ord_ID Name Date

1 1 Green 23-Feb-2014
1 2 Green 26-Feb-2014
2 3 Blue 26-Feb-2014

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