SCENARIO
A media company is responsible for managing the publishing of a wide variety of local and international magazines - NSC Information Technology - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 2
Question 4
SCENARIO
A media company is responsible for managing the publishing of a wide variety of local and international magazines. An MS Access database is used to manage ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:SCENARIO
A media company is responsible for managing the publishing of a wide variety of local and international magazines - NSC Information Technology - Question 4 - 2021 - Paper 2
Step 1
What is a relational database?
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Answer
A relational database is a system that stores data in multiple tables linked by relationships, typically using primary and foreign keys. This organization allows data to be easily accessed, managed, and updated, enabling efficient queries and ensuring data integrity.
Step 2
Name and explain ONE anomaly that can occur in an operational database if the database is not normalised.
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An example of an anomaly is the 'Insertion anomaly.' This occurs when the database structure requires certain data to be present in order to add new data. For instance, if a publisher is not known, new magazines cannot be added that are associated with that publisher, leading to incomplete records.
Step 3
Identify THREE fields in the table tblMagazines that require more suitable data types. Suggest a more suitable field name and data type for EACH field that you identified.
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ReleaseDate: Change to Date/Time data type for accurate date representation.
Price: Change to Currency to properly reflect monetary values.
NumPrinted: Change to Integer to represent the number of printed magazines correctly.
Step 4
Draw an ERD of tblPublishers and tblMagazines showing the following: The relationship type between the entities, A suitable action verb describing the relationship
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The ERD should show a One-to-Many relationship where one Publisher can have many Magazines. The action verb could be 'publishes'.
Step 5
Explain what data integrity entails.
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Data integrity refers to the accuracy and consistency of data over its lifecycle. It encompasses the completeness of data, accuracy of records, and validity of data across the database to ensure reliable information.
Step 6
Apart from normalisation, state ONE other way to ensure data integrity in a database.
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One way to ensure data integrity is to implement validation rules during data entry, which helps to enforce data correctness and prevents invalid data from being entered.
Step 7
State TWO ways in which the company can benefit from the use of a database management system.
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Reduces Redundancy: Centralizes data storage to minimize duplicative data entries.
Improves Data Access: Enhances the ability to retrieve and manipulate data efficiently.
Step 8
Suggest ONE way to minimise user input.
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Implement default values for fields that do not require user changes, reducing the need for manual data entry.
Step 9
Explain why using a server-based database instead of a desktop database system would be the better option in a company.
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A server-based database can handle larger volumes of users and data simultaneously, allowing for collaborative access and improved resource management compared to a desktop database.
Step 10
How does data warehousing affect the size of a database?
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Data warehousing typically increases the size of a database as it stores large volumes of historical data for analysis and reporting, allowing for efficient data querying.
Step 11
Name ONE role of a human in data mining.
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Humans are essential in interpreting the results of data mining processes, providing insights, and making decisions based on the data analyzed.
