Term | Definition |
Database | collection of related data that can be easily stored, sorted, organized, and queried |
Data Redundancy | duplicated data |
Data Inconsistency | not possible to tell which data was correct easily |
Data Centralization | ensures data integrity |
Data Integrity | the data contained in the database is accurate and reliable |
Database Administrator | an individual trained in the design and building of databases |
Field | place where a database stores each category of information;p displayed in columns |
Data Type | indicates what type of data can be stored in the field |
Field Name | way of describing the field |
Text Field | can hold any combination of alphanumeric data but is most often used to hold words |
Numeric Field | stores numbers |
Computational Field | a numeric field that stores the contents of a calculation |
Date/Time Field | Holds data such as birthdays and due dates |
Memo Field | Like a text field but can hold long pieces of text |
Object Field | Holds items such as pictures, video clips, or documents |
Hyperlink Field | stores hyperlinks to web pages |
Table | a group of related records |
Primary Key | Unique field that is used to keep records distinct |
Record | a group of related fields |
Relation | a table that contains related data |
Object-oriented Database | stores data in object rather than in tables |
Structured Data | analytical |
Unstructured Data | nontraditional data such as audio clips |
Binary Large Object | encoded in binary form |
Query Language | a specially designed computer language that is used to manipulate data in or extract data from a database |
Multidimensional Database | stores data in more than two dimensions |
Database Management System | specially designed application software that interacts with the user, other applications, and the database to capture and analyze data. |
Data Dictionary | Place where the description of the data is stored |
Default Value | value the database uses for the field unless the user enters another value |
Metadata | data that describes other data |
Input Form | provides a view of the data fields to be filled |
Validation | the process of ensuring that data entered into the database is correct and complete |
Validation Rule | set up in the student database to alert the user if a clearly wrong entry is entered |
Range Check | ensures that the data entered into the databases falls within a certain range of numbers |
Field Constraint | a property that must be satisfied for an entry to be accepted into the field |
Completeness Check | ensures that all fields defined as required have data entered into them |
Consistency Check | compares the values of data in two or more fields to see if these values are reasonable |
Browsing | Viewing records |
Query | Question or inquiry |
Relationship | a link between tables that defines how the data is related |
Normalization | Reduce data redundancy by recording data only once |
Foreign Key | the primary key of another table that is included for purposes of establishing relationships with one another |
Referential Integrity | for each value in the foreign key of the table, there is a corresponding value in the primary key of the related table |
Time-variant Data | doesn't all pertain to one period in time |
Clickstream Data | captured information about each click that users make as they navigate through the site |
Data Staging | extraction, transformation, and storage |
Data Mart | small slices of the data warehouse |
Information System | software-based solution used to gather and analyze information |