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Professional Diploma in
Introduction to Technology

Databases
Lesson 4: Summary Notes

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Contents
3 Lesson outcomes

Data

5 Relational databases

7 Database management

8 References

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Lesson outcomes
In this lesson you will learn about data versus information, processing
data, organising data and data as a commodity, you will also learn about
relational databases, the structure of a database, entity relationship
diagrams and identifying relationships. This lesson also covers database
management, defining what it is and the role of a database administrator,
tools for managing databases and database programming languages
(SQL).

Data
Data Information
Data refers to raw facts The result after data has been processed

Data are the foundation of information Requires context to reveal meaning

Organisations use data as part of making Accurate, relevant, timely information is key
strategic decisions

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Data processing

• Data processing is the conversion of raw data to meaningful information

• Use of computer systems and software to carry out a number of operations on the data
(Medium, 2017)

Organising and storing data

Life-cycle of processing data:

1. Collection
2. Preparation
3. Input
4. Processing
5. Output
6. Storage

Data as a commodity

As of recent, data has officially become more valuable than oil. This means that data is now more valuable than
what used to be the world’s most valuable commodity.
(Technative, 2019)

NOTES

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Relational databases

Structure of a relational database

A relational database is one that is highly useful to organise data into collections of two-dimensional tables called
relations.
(Chesney, Stair and Reynolds, 2017)

Characteristics of a relational database

A typical relational database consists of multiple related tables, also known as entities, which comprise of multiple
records and fields.
• Entity/Table
• Record
• Field
• Primary Keys
• Foreign Keys

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Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is a snapshot of data structures. An Entity Relationship Diagram shows entities
(tables) in a database and relationships between tables within that database.

(Source: Bizzdesign)

Identifying relationships

When designing a relational database, the best way to resolve relationships between entities is by
creating a logical set of business rules.
• One-to-one
• One-to-many
• Many-to-many
• Optional

(Source: Chesney, Stair and Reynolds, 2017)

(Source: Symmetric)

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Database management

Database Administrator (DBA)

• Work with users to define their data needs

• Identifies entities of interest
• Applies database programming languages
• Tests and evaluates databases
• Implements changes
• Ensures data is secure from unauthorised access

Relational database management system

A database management system is a collection of programmes used to manage the structure and control access to
data.

Here are some considerations when designing and building a database system:
• Content
• Access
• Physical organisation
• Logical structure

Types of database management systems

• Single-user
• Multi-user
• Flat files

Tools for managing databases

• MySQL
• Oracle XE
• MS SQL Server

SQL database programming

Structured Query Language (SQL) is a special-purpose programming language for accessing and manipulating data
stored in a relational database.
SQL allows us to:
• Select data
• Project data
• Join tables

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References
• Bizzdesign (no date) Modeling with ERD - Support - BiZZdesign Support. Available at: https://support.bizzdesign.com/
display/knowledge/Modeling+with+ERD

• Chesney, T., Stair, R. M. and Reynolds, G. W. (2017) Principles of Business Information Systems. Cengage Learning.
Available at: https://books.google.co.za/books?id=gow8swEACAAJ.

• Medium (2017) The 6 Stages of Data Processing Cycle | by PeerXP Team | Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@
peerxp/the-6-stages-of-data-processing-cycle-3c2927c466ff

• Symmetric (no date) ERD Notation – Symmetric GmbH. Available at: https://www.symmetric.ch/wiki/sql-wiki-2/erd-
notation/?lang=en

• Technative (2019) Data – the World’s New Precious Commodity – TechNative. Available at: https://www.technative.io/
data-the-worlds-new-precious-commodity/

NOTES

PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY