Deck 10: Data Administration, Database Administration, and Data Dictionaries

Question 1

Data administration is mainly ____ function.

A) a programming
B) a planning and analysis
C) a hardware maintenance
D) an operational, day-to-day monitoring and management
E) a finance and accounting

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Managing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) databases would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) modularized, efficient programming
B) data as a shared corporate resource
C) efficiency in job specialization
D) operational management of data
E) managing externally acquired databases

Answer 2

E

Question 3

All of the following are realizations of the metadata concept, except ____.

A) active data dictionary
B) operational database
C) data repository
D) data catalog
E) passive data dictionary

Answer 3

B

Question 4

All of the following are advantages of data and database administration, except ____.

A) modularized, efficient programming
B) data as a shared corporate resource
C) efficiency in job specialization
D) operational management of data
E) managing externally acquired databases

Question 5

Handling a DBMS application failure during execution would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) DBMS data and software maintenance
B) DBMS performance monitoring
C) Data dictionary operations
D) Data planning
E) DBMS troubleshooting

Question 6

The pair of dictionary entities that are in the "impact of change" relationship are ____.

A) tables and attributes
B) people and databases
C) programs and tables
D) tables and disks
E) Web pages and jobs

Question 7

All of the following are responsibilities of data administration, except ____.

A) liaison to systems analysts and programmers
B) data coordination
C) training
D) promoting data's competitive advantage
E) DBMS usage and security monitoring

Question 8

Database administration is a planning and analysis function that is responsible for setting data policy and standards, for promoting the company's data as a competitive resource, for accounting for the use of data, and for providing liaison support to systems analysts during application development.

Question 9

The most appropriate tool for accurately supporting the relational query optimizer is the ____.

A) active data dictionary
B) operational database
C) data repository
D) data catalog
E) passive data dictionary

Question 10

The term that describes data about data is ____.

A) application data
B) ultradata
C) metadata
D) analysis data
E) retrodata

Question 11

All of the following are responsibilities of data administration, except ____.

A) DBMS performance monitoring
B) arbitration of disputes and usage authorization
C) documentation and publicity
D) data standards
E) data planning

Question 12

Database administration is mainly ____ function.

A) a programming
B) a planning and analysis
C) a hardware maintenance
D) an operational, day-to-day monitoring and management
E) a finance and accounting

Question 13

All of the following are likely data dictionary entities in the relational database environment, except ____.

A) tables
B) disks
C) queries
D) application programs
E) operational data

Question 14

Maintaining a reasonable amount of control over centralized/decentralized data would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) liaison to systems analysts and programmers
B) data coordination
C) training
D) promoting data's competitive advantage
E) DBMS usage and security monitoring

Question 15

All of the following are responsibilities of database administration, except ____.

A) DBMS data and software maintenance
B) DBMS performance monitoring
C) Data dictionary operations
D) Data planning
E) DBMS troubleshooting

Question 16

Having dedicated experts whose job it is to perform database design would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) modularized, efficient programming
B) data as a shared corporate resource
C) efficiency in job specialization
D) operational management of data
E) managing externally acquired databases

Question 17

The data administration function is operationally oriented and is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring and management of the company's various active databases, as well as providing liaison support to program designers during application development.

Question 18

All of the following are characteristics of relational DBMS catalogs, except ____.

A) they are highly active
B) their main purpose is to accurately support the relational query optimizer
C) they are themselves relational databases
D) they include the full range of data dictionary entities
E) they try to find an efficient access path to satisfy a query

Question 19

Informing potential users of what data already exists in the database would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) DBMS performance monitoring
B) arbitration of disputes and usage authorization
C) documentation and publicity
D) data standards
E) data planning

Question 20

Installing new versions of the DBMS and installing "fixes" or "patches" (corrections) to the DBMS would be most directly characterized as ____.

A) DBMS data and software maintenance
B) DBMS performance monitoring
C) Data dictionary operations
D) Data planning
E) DBMS troubleshooting

Question 21

Data administration is not concerned with performance monitoring because that is the responsibility of the company's systems programmers.

Question 22

One of the advantages of data and database administration is having dedicated personnel to manage externally acquired databases.

Question 23

The term metadata means data about data.

Question 24

A passive data dictionary is one that interacts with the IS environment on a real-time basis.

Question 25

Among the responsibilities of data administration are arbitration of disputes and usage authorization.

Question 26

Among the responsibilities of data administration are data coordination and data planning.

Question 27

Due to the nature of data, it is not considered to be a "scarce" resource as other corporate resources are.

Question 28

The data administration group is responsible for the operational aspects of the data dictionary, as opposed to the planning aspects, which are the responsibility of database administration.

Question 29

A tables table is part of a data dictionary in a relational database environment.

Question 30

Among the responsibilities of data administration are DBMS performance monitoring and DBMS troubleshooting.

Question 31

Having data administration enforce data standards is helpful in establishing supply chains with other companies.

Question 32

Among the responsibilities of database administration are data planning and arbitration of disputes.

Question 33

The nature of the interaction of an active data dictionary with the IS environment can be a matter of input into the data dictionary, output from it, or both.

Question 34

Data administration typically carries out many of the policies set by database administration.

Question 35

Data administration is not concerned with data security because that is the responsibility of the company's firewalls.

Question 36

A data dictionary is a program that the IS function uses to help manage itself.

Question 37

Data administration personnel serving as liaisons to systems analysts and programmers help determine which of the data items needed for an application already exist in the database.

Question 38

One of the advantages of data and database administration is efficiency in job specialization.

Question 39

An example of an active data dictionary's use in the "input sense" is if it must be consulted to see who is authorized to access particular data.

Question 40

Among the responsibilities of database administration is the physical design of shared databases.

Question 41

Grand Travel Airlines.
a. You have just been named Director of Data Administration of Grand Travel Airlines. Grand Travel Airlines has a centralized, mainframe-based information systems environment at its headquarters with telecommunications links to a server at each airport that it services. Each server, in turn, controls a LAN that includes a microcomputer at each check-in counter and gate. Check-in and other data taken in at the counters and gates is immediately transmitted to the mainframe at headquarters. You have been given the responsibility of creating data administration and database administration departments for Grand Travel Airlines. Design these data administration and database administration departments describing their responsibilities.
b. Create a data dictionary TABLES table and an ATTRIBUTES table and enter data in them for the following Grand Travel Airlines database. Your TABLES table should have Table Name, Table Length, and Disk Number columns. Your ATTRIBUTES tables should have Attribute Name, Attribute Type, and Attribute Length columns. Use your judgement in developing the values for these columns.
PILOT
FLIGHT
PASSENGER
RESERVATION
AIRPLANE
c. Create a RELATIONSHIPS table for this tables and attributes data.

Question 42

A relational DBMS catalog is a limited-scope, passive data dictionary.

Question 43

The Central Zoo.
a. You have just been given the responsibility for data management at the Central Zoo. The Central Zoo maintains a modest information systems environment with a server and a LAN that connects all of the zoo's departments. You have been asked to design and manage the typical data administration and database administration functions at the Central Zoo. Do so, describing the tasks necessary to maintain the zoo's data.
b. Create a data dictionary TABLES table and an ATTRIBUTES table and enter data in them for the following Central Zoo database. Your TABLES table should have Table Name, Table Length, and Disk Number columns. Your ATTRIBUTES tables should have Attribute Name, Attribute Type, and Attribute Length columns. Use your judgement in developing the values for these columns.
ENCLOSURE
ANIMAL
ZOOKEEPER
CARES FOR
c. Create a RELATIONSHIPS table for this tables and attributes data.

Question 44

The term "impact of change" refers to a data dictionary relationship between the table and attribute entities.

Question 45

Among the typical entities stored in a data dictionary are attributes, disks, and queries.

Question 46

In a relational DBMS, the main purpose of the relational catalog is to accurately support the relational query optimizer.

Question 47

A data repository is a large-scale data dictionary with advanced entity types.