A collection of information concerning a certain topic

or business application
Databases help you organize this related information
in a logical fashion for easy access and retrieval
E.g.
computerized library systems
flight reservation systems
computerized parts inventory systems
A computer application used to create and maintain
databases
A collection of programs that enables you to store,
modify, and extract information from a database
Database Management System can
add, remove, update records
retrieve data that match certain criteria
cross-reference data in different tables
perform complex aggregate calculation

Database management systems provide several
functions in addition to simple file management:
allow concurrency
control security
maintain data integrity
provide for backup and recovery
control redundancy
allow data independence
provide non-procedural query language
perform automatic query optimization
Many different individuals are involved with a
database management system over its life:
systems analysts
database designers
database administrators
application developers
users

0-99-999999-9 Emma 1 Austen 111-111-1111 1 Big House 123-456-7890 20.00 z
0-91-335678-7 Faerie Queen 7 Spenser 777-777-7777 1 Big House 123-456-7890 17.00 z
0-91-045678-5 Hamlet 5 Shakespeare 555-555-5555 2 Alpha Press 999-999-9999 20.00 z
0-103-45678-9 Iliad 3 Homer 333-333-3333 1 Big House 123-456-7890 25.00 z
0-555-55555-9 Macbeth 5 Shakespeare 555-555-5555 2 Alpha Press 999-999-9999 12.00 z
0-55-123456-9 Main Street 10 Jones 123-333-3333 3 Small House 714-000-0000 23.00 z
0-55-123456-9 Main Street 9 Smith 123-222-2222 3 Small House 714-000-0000 23.00 z
0-12-333433-3 On Liberty 8 Mill 888-888-8888 1 Big House 123-456-7890 25.00 z
0-321-32132-1 Balloon 2 Sleepy 222-222-2222 3 Small House 714-000-0000 34.00 z
0-321-32132-1 Balloon 4 Snoopy 444-444-4444 3 Small House 714-000-0000 34.00 z
0-321-32132-1 Balloon 11 Grumpy 321-321-0000 3 Small House 714-000-0000 34.00 z

ISBN

Title

AuID

AuName

AuTel

PubID

PubName

PubTel

Price
Redundancy of data
Problem with complex data
Problems in updating in bulk (new phone number)
Problems in adding incomplete data (new publisher)
Problems in removing group of data (all books from
the publisher)

Solution:
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
E.g. Microsoft Access
A type of database management system (DBMS) that
stores data in the form of related tables (relations)
A Relational Database Management System is software
that
enables you to implement a database with tables,
columns, and indexes
Guarantees the Referential Integrity between rows of
various tables
Updates the indexes automatically
Interprets an SQL query and combines information
from various tables
The ACID Model guarantees the successful transactions
A feature provided by relational database management
systems (RDBMS's) that prevents users or applications
from entering inconsistent data
Cascade Update Related Fields
The values of foreign keys change following changes of
the values of the primary key
Cascade Delete Related Records
Deleting a record from the primary field in a
relationship causes a deletion of all related records in
the second table
Atomicity
Consistency
Isolation
Durability

Ability of the database to guarantee that either all of
the tasks of a transaction are performed or none of
them are
Database modifications must follow an all or nothing
rule
Each transaction is said to be atomic if when one part
of the transaction fails, the entire transaction fails
Ensures that the database remains in a consistent state
before the start of the transaction and after the
transaction is over (whether successful or not)
Only valid data will be written to the database
If, for some reason, a transaction is executed that
violates the databases consistency rules, the entire
transaction will be rolled back and the database will be
restored to a state consistent with those rules
Ensures that multiple transactions occurring at the
same time not impact each others execution
Other operations cannot access or see the data in an
intermediate state during a transaction
This constraint is required to maintain the
performance as well as the consistency between
transactions in a database
Ensures that any transaction committed to the
database will not be lost
It does not imply a permanent state of the database as
another transaction may overwrite any changes made
by the current transaction without hindering
durability

Primary Key
Value unique for each record in a table
Does not allow null or duplicate values
Foreign Key
Corresponding field to Primary Key in a related table is
called the foreign key
Used to create relationships between tables
No uniqueness constraint for foreign keys
For example, the ContactID field in the Contacts table is
a primary key, while the ContactID field in the Invoices
table is a foreign key

Familiar look and feel of Windows
Easy to start building simple databases
Its already on your computer, if MS Office is installed
True relational database management system
Object
class
Purpose
Table An organized collection of rows and columns used to store
field data.
Query An object that is used to view, change, or organized data.
Form A graphical object that displays data from a table or a query
in an easy-to-use format.
Report An object used to present data in a printed format.
Pages Data Access Pages are HTML files designed in Access and
formatted to display in a Web browser.
Macro A set of one or more actions that are used to automate
common tasks such as opening a form or printing a report.
Module A collection of Visual Basic for Applications programming
components that are stored together as a unit.
A collection of fields that describes a specific subject
such as a person, place, object or event
A two-dimensional grid containing field data
e.g. A Patient Visit Info table containing seven fields:
Visit ID, Patient, Visit Date, Visit Time, Length, Visit
Reason, Visit With

Field
A single piece of information
A column of the table
Also called Attribute
e.g. first name, last name
Record
Contains information about a specific entry in the table
A row of the table
Also called Record
e.g. a record for each visit or patient

Queries extract information from a database
A query selects and defines a group of records that
fulfill a certain condition
Many forms and most reports are based on queries
that pre-filter data before it is displayed

Forms help users get information into a database table
quickly, easily, and accurately
Forms provide a more structured view of the data than
what a datasheet provides
From this structured view, database records can be
viewed, added, changed, or deleted
Entering data through the forms is the most common
way to get the data into the database table

Reports present your data in printed format. Access
supports several different types of reports
A report may list all records in a given table or may list
only the records meeting a certain criterion

Steps for database design as follows:
1. Defining the purpose
Defines the overall purpose of the database, including
a list of user specifications for input and output
2. Planning the database objects
Determines the number of tables
Determines the ways in which records will be
reorganized using queries
Decides the kinds of forms and reports your database
will contain

3. Creating and relating tables
Specifies the kind of data each field will contain
Establishes relationships among the tables
4. Creating queries to reorganize data
Designs query to reorganize data to fulfill a specific
request
5. Creating forms, pages, and reports
Creates forms, access pages, and reports to present
data from tables and queries