Deck 7: Structuring System Requirements: Conceptual Data Modeling

Question 1

Since a name represents a set of entities, it is plural on an entity-relationship diagram.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Book, supplier, and state are examples of entity types.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An analyst would ask "What must we know about each object in order to run a business?" in order to determine relationships, their cardinality, and degrees.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In order to determine the integrity rules, minimum and maximum cardinality, and time dimensions of data, an analyst might ask, "Are values for data characteristics limited in any way?"

Question 5

Use a verb or verb phrase to name an entity.

Question 6

During systems design, a conceptual data model with attributes is prepared.

Question 7

Processes, rather than data, are the most complex aspects of many modern information systems.

Question 8

A logical data model is prepared during systems analysis.

Question 9

In order to determine attributes and secondary keys, an analyst might ask, "What characteristics describe each object?"

Question 10

The purpose of the conceptual data model is to show as many rules about the meaning and interrelationships among data as possible.

Question 11

An enterprise-wide data model is prepared during systems implementation and operation.

Question 12

The top-down approach to data modeling derives a data model from an intimate understanding of the nature of the business.

Question 13

A deliverable from conceptual data modeling is a set of entries about data objects to be stored in the project dictionary or repository.

Question 14

The names of data stores on primitive-level data flow diagrams often correspond to the names of data entities in entity-relationship (E-R) diagrams.

Question 15

The characteristics of data captured during data modeling are crucial in the design of databases, programs, computer screens, and printed reports.

Question 16

The primary deliverable for the conceptual data-modeling step within the analysis phase is an entity-relationship diagram.

Question 17

The bottom-up approach to data modeling derives a data model by reviewing specific business documents.

Question 18

In order to determine security controls and understand who really knows the meaning of data, an analyst might ask, "What natural activities or transactions of the business involve handling data about several objects of the same or different type?"

Question 19

When constructing a data model, the analyst needs to know how, when, and where data are processed.

Question 20

An entity is a person, place, object, event, or concept in the user environment about which the organization wishes to maintain data.

Question 21

An identifier is a candidate key that has been selected as the unique, identifying characteristic for an entity type.

Question 22

An order number is a good example of a candidate key.

Question 23

A ternary relationship is a relationship between instances of one entity type.

Question 24

Analysts should use intelligent keys as identifiers.

Question 25

Social security number, last name, and first name are examples of entity types.

Question 26

When selecting an identifier, one should choose a candidate key that will not change its value over the life of each instance of the entity type.

Question 27

A unary relationship is the most common type of relationship encountered in data modeling.

Question 28

A primary key should be null.

Question 29

A repeating group is a set of two or more multivalued attributes that are logically related.

Question 30

A multivalued attribute is an attribute that may take on more than one value for each entity instance.

Question 31

Employee identification number, name, address, and skill are examples of attributes.

Question 32

An entity instance is a single occurrence of an entity type.

Question 33

Referencing an employee entity, an employee's skills are an example of a multivalued attribute.

Question 34

One way to handle repeating data within an entity is to separate the repeating data into another entity, called a weak entity.

Question 35

A join is an association between the instances of one or more entity types that is of interest to the organization.

Question 36

A true data entity will have many possible instances, each with a distinguishing characteristic, as well as one or more other descriptive pieces of data.

Question 37

A faculty identification number could be used as an identifier.

Question 38

Analysts should consider substituting single-attribute surrogate keys for large composite keys.

Question 39

The goal of conceptual data modeling is to capture as much of the meaning of data as possible.

Question 40

Relationships are labeled with verb phrases.

Question 41

In theory, if there are four sets of requirements, three implementation environments, and four sources of application software, then there would be thirty-six possible design strategies.

Question 42

During alternative generation and selection, choices on the implementation environment may place technical limitations on the subsequent design phase activities.

Question 43

Midrange alternatives are the most conservative in terms of the effort, cost, and technology involved in developing a new system.

Question 44

Cardinality is the number of instances of entity B that can (or must) be associated with each instance of entity A.

Question 45

A plural relationship is a relationship that the data modeler chooses to model as entity type.

Question 46

Cost is the primary focus of high-end alternatives.

Question 47

In theory, if there are six sets of requirements, four implementation environments, and five sources of application software, then there would be one hundred twenty possible design strategies.

Question 48

The minimum cardinality of a relationship is the minimum number of instances of entity B that may be associated with each instance of entity A.

Question 49

During alternative generation and selection, management may decide to end the project for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the needs of the organization have changed.

Question 50

During the alternative generation and selection step of the analysis phase, you would divide the requirements into different sets of capabilities ranging from the bare minimum that users would accept to the most elaborate and advanced system the company could afford to develop.

Question 51

Conceptual data modeling for an Internet-based electronic commerce application differs significantly from the process followed when analyzing the data needs for other types of applications.

Question 52

During the designing the human interface step of the design phase, you would enumerate different potential implementation environments that could be used to deliver the different sets of capabilities.

Question 53

A relationship must be turned into an associative entity when the associative entity has other relationships with entities besides the relationship that caused its creation.

Question 54

A good number of alternatives to generate is five.

Question 55

High-end alternatives not only solve the problem in question but include many extra features as well.

Question 56

A system design strategy represents a particular approach to developing a system.

Question 57

Ideally, each data store on a primitive data-flow diagram will be an individual entity.

Question 58

A ternary relationship is the equivalent of three binary relationships.

Question 59

During the alternative generation and selection step of the analysis phase, you would propose different ways to source or acquire the various sets of capabilities for the different implementation environments.

Question 60

When performing requirements structuring steps, you should match all entities with the data stores appearing on a data-flow diagram.

Question 61

The primary deliverable from the conceptual data-modeling step within the analysis phase is:

A) a state-transition diagram.
B) an entity-relationship diagram.
C) a context data flow diagram.
D) a decision table.
E) Structured English.

Question 62

During systems analysis:

A) a conceptual data model (E-R with attributes) is prepared.
B) a logical model (relational) is prepared.
C) physical files and database designs are prepared.
D) an enterprise-wide data model is prepared.
E) database and file definitions are prepared.

Question 63

Process, logic, and data-model descriptions of a system must be consistent and complete since:

A) they each describe different but complementary views of the same information system.
B) they are prepared during the analysis phase.
C) they are constructed in parallel by separate analyst teams.
D) a data model indicates when the data are processed.
E) a data model shows how the data are processed.

Question 64

When generating alternative design strategies, a high-end alternative will provide all desired features using advanced technologies that often allow the system to expand to meet future requirements.

Question 65

Constraints on systems development include time, finances, and legal and contractual restrictions.

Question 66

The minimum requirements for a new system are also its mandatory features.

Question 67

During systems design:

A) a conceptual data model (E-R with attributes) is prepared.
B) a logical model (relational) is prepared.
C) a conceptual data model (E-R with only entities for the specific project) is prepared.
D) an enterprise-wide data model is prepared.
E) database and file definitions are prepared.

Question 68

Desired features are those that users could live without but that are used to select between design strategies that are of almost equal value in terms of essential features.

Question 69

When generating alternative design strategies, low-end solutions may not involve computer technology at all.

Question 70

During systems development, essential features to consider include data, output, and analyses.

Question 71

Essential features are those that everyone agrees are necessary to solve the problem or meet the opportunity.

Question 72

The identification of a system's mandatory features would be performed during systems planning and selection.

Question 73

Which of the following is a true statement?

A) Data characteristics are dynamic.
B) A data model explains the transient form of an organization.
C) An information system design based on a data orientation, rather than a process or logic orientation, should have a longer useful life.
D) Data flow paths are permanent.
E) A data model graphically represents the processes that capture, manipulate, store, and distribute data between a system and its environment and among components within a system.

Question 74

The most common format used for data modeling is:

A) state-transition diagramming.
B) entity-relationship diagramming.
C) process modeling.
D) logic modeling.
E) a flowchart.

Question 75

During systems implementation and operation:

A) a conceptual data model (E-R with attributes) is prepared.
B) a logical model (relational) is prepared.
C) physical files and database designs are prepared.
D) an enterprise-wide data model is prepared.
E) database and file definitions are prepared.

Question 76

While essential features help screen out possible solutions, desirable features help compare alternative design strategies.

Question 77

Conceptual data modeling is typically done in parallel with other requirements analysis and structuring steps during:

A) systems planning and selection.
B) systems design.
C) systems analysis.
D) systems implementation and operation.
E) systems evaluation.

Question 78

Which of the following is produced and analyzed during conceptual data modeling?

A) An entity relationship diagram for the project's application
B) A data dialogue diagram for the project's application
C) A Gantt chart for the whole database from which the new application's data are extracted
D) A Network diagram for the whole database from which the new application's data are extracted
E) A data flow diagram that shows how the new system will be physically implemented

Question 79

During systems planning and selection:

A) a conceptual data model (E-R with attributes) is prepared.
B) a logical model (relational) is prepared.
C) physical files and database designs are prepared.
D) an enterprise-wide data model is prepared.
E) database and file definitions are prepared.

Question 80

Some systems developers believe that a data model is the most important part of the statement of information system requirements because:

A) the characteristics of data captured during data modeling are crucial in the design of databases, programs, computer screens, and printed reports.
B) data rather than processes are the most complex aspects of many modern information systems and thus require a central role in structuring system requirements.
C) the characteristics about data are reasonably permanent.
D) structural information about data is essential to generate programs automatically.
E) of all of the above.