Home Work-12

2. how are a file and a database different from each other?

File and databases have various differences:

1) File is an electronically listed data to perform the intended transaction inside the system

while databases are an organized collection of data related to each other.

2) Data within files are difficult to store, search and retrieve while in database it is very

easy to store search and retrieve.

3) Files are more vulnerable to security threat while databases are more secure.

4) Files operate manually while databases have automatic functions.

6. what is the most popular kind of database today?provide three examples of products that

are based on this technology.

Most popular kind of database

The database that is most popular today is ‘Relational Database’. Three examples of products

that are based on this technology are:

1. Microsoft Access;

2. Oracle; and

3. MySQL
7. what is referential integrity, and how is it implemented in a relational database?

- Referential integrity (RI) is a relational database concept, which states that table relationships

must always be consistent. In other words, any foreign key field must agree with the primary key

that is referenced by the foreign key. Thus, any primary key field changes must be applied to all

foreign keys, or not at all. The same restriction also applies to foreign keys in that any updates

(but not necessarily deletions) must be propagated to the primary parent key.

12. What are the differences between the logical and physical ERDS?

- Logical ERD models information gathered from business requirements. Entities and

relationships modeled in such ERD are defined around the business's need. The need

of satisfying the database design is not considered yet.

Physical ERD represents the actual design of database. It deals with conversion from

logical design into a schema level design that will be transformed into relational

database. When modeling a physical ERD, Logical ERD is treated as base, refinement

occurs by defining primary keys, foreign keys and constraints. Sometimes,

relationships need to be resolved by introducing additional tables, like a Linked table

for a many to many relationship.

Since physical ERD and logical ERD represent the business requirement and

database schema respectively, comparing physical and logical ERD helps to find out

the differences between them, thus confirming the database is exactly following the

initial business requirements regardless of the changes.