CHAPTER 3

Short-Question Answers

SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS (p. 158)

1. What is business intelligence? Why is it more than just information? ANSWER: Business intelligence is knowledge knowledge about your customers, your competitors, your partners, your competitive environment, and your own internal operations. It is more than just information because it combines various types of information to allow you to make better decisions and operate more productively. p. 128 What is online transaction processing (OLTP)? ANSWER: OLTP is the gathering of input information, processing that information, and updating existing information to reflect the gathered and processed information. p. 128 What are databases called that support OLTP? ANSWER: Databases that support OLTP are called operational databases. p. 128 What is online analytical processing (OLAP)? How is it different from OLTP? ANSWER: Online analytical processing (OLAP) is the manipulation of information to support decision making. It differs from OLTP in that it does not process transactions but rather manipulates existing information to support the making of a decision. p. 129 What is the most popular database model? ANSWER: The most popular database model is the relational database model. p. 130 What is the role of a data dictionary in a database environment? ANSWER: A data dictionary contains the logical structure for the information in a database. So, it contains various field properties, integrity constraints, and the identification of primary and foreign keys. p. 130 How are primary and foreign keys different? How are they the same? ANSWER: A primary key is a field that uniquely identifies a record in a relation of a database while a foreign key is a primary key of one file that appears in another file. So, primary keys must be unique in a given relation while foreign keys do not have to be. They are the same in that both are used to enforce integrity constraints. p. 132 What are the five important software components of a database management system? ANSWER: The five important software components of a DBMS are (1) DBMS engine, (2) data definition subsystem, (3) data manipulation subsystem, (4) application generation subsystem, and (5) data administration subsystem. p. 134 How are QBE tools and SQL similar? How are they different? ANSWER: QBE tools and SQL are similar in that they both give you the ability to create queries to find information in a database. They are different in that QBE tools provide a GUI interface while SQL requires that you create your query in statement form. p. 140

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Short-Question Answers

10. What part of a DBMS helps you manage the overall database environment? ANSWER: The part of a DBMS that helps you manage the overall database environment is the data administration subsystem. p. 140 11. What is a data warehouse? How does it differ from a database? ANSWER: A data warehouse is a logical collection of information gathered from many different operational databases used to create business intelligence that supports business analysis activities and decision-making tasks. Data warehouses are different from databases in that they support only OLAP while databases support both OLAP and OLTP. p. 144 12. What are the four major types of data mining tools? ANSWER: The four major types of data mining tools are intelligent agents, query-andreporting tools, multidimensional analysis tools, and statistical tools. p. 145 13. What database tools are similar to data mining query-and-reporting tools? ANSWER: Database tools that are similar to data mining query-and-reporting tools include view, query-by-example, SQL, and report generators. p. 146 14. What is a data mart? How is it similar to a data warehouse? ANSWER: A data mart is a subset of a data warehouse in which only a focused portion of the data warehoused information is kept. p. 147 15. How often should you update information in a data warehouse? ANSWER: That all depends on the purpose a data warehouse and the information it stores. For example, weather-forecasting data warehouses probably need up-to-the-minute information while some inventory data warehouses may not. p. 148 16. What is the role of a chief information officer (CIO)? ANSWER: The role of a chief information officer (CIO) is to oversee an organizations information resource. p. 149 17. How do the functions of data administration and database administration differ? ANSWER: Data administration is responsible for the less technical issues surrounding information as a resource in an organization. Database administration is responsible for the more technical issues surrounding database and data warehouse design, implementation, and use. p. 150

SHORT-QUESTION ANSWERS (p. 158)

1. 2. Its more than just information. QUESTION: What is business intelligence? p. 128 Operational databases. QUESTION: What type of database supports OLTP? p. 128

CHAPTER 3 3.

Short-Question Answers

Relation. QUESTION: What is a term in the relational database model that describes a table or file? p. 130 Database. QUESTION: What is a logical collection of information that you access according to the logical structure of the information? p. 130 A primary key of one file that appears in another file. QUESTION: What is a foreign key? p. 132 Rules that help ensure the quality of information. QUESTION: What are integrity constraints? p. 133 Handles the physical view in a database environment. QUESTION: What is the primary role of the DBMS engine? p. 134 Data dictionary. QUESTION: What maintains the structure of a database? p. 130 Tools including views, report generators, QBE, and SQL. QUESTION: What tools are in the data manipulation subsystem? p. 137

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10. The graphical equivalent of SQL. QUESTION: What is QBE? p. 139 11. Security management is an example. QUESTION: What is the role of the data administration subsystem in a DBMS? p. 140 12. It is multidimensional and supports only OLAP. QUESTION: What is a data warehouse and what is its role? p. 144 13. Slice-and-dice techniques. QUESTION: What are multidimensional analysis tools? p. 146 14. A smaller version of a data warehouse. QUESTION: What is a data mart? p. 147 15. CIO. QUESTION: Who oversees the organizations information as a resource? p. 149 16. The function that plans for, oversees the development of, and monitors the information resource. QUESTION: What is data administration? p. 150