Question 1

________ takes advantage of signals transmitted via the phone to access the database, retrieve account information, and enter data.

Accepted Answer

Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology used by businesses to interact with customers through the telephone system. IVR systems can be used to retrieve account information, enter data, and perform other functions by recognizing the spoken commands of the caller.

Question 2

Documentation that contains the details of each field in every table, including user-friendly descriptions of the field's meaning, is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A data dictionary is a documentation that contains the details of each field in every table, including user-friendly descriptions of the field's meaning. It helps in understanding the database structure and makes it easier to manage, maintain and troubleshoot the database. The database schema refers to the overall structure of the database including tables, relationships, and constraints. Referential schema is a type of database schema that defines the relationships between tables that share a common field or key. Scalability refers to the ability of a system to handle increasing amounts of workload or data.

Question 3

In a university database, the student table, with student ID as a primary key, is linked to the university department table through its primary key-department ID. In the student table, department ID is a ________.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the department ID in the student table serves as a reference to the primary key in the university department table. Therefore, it is a foreign key.

Question 4

________ ensures that every foreign key entry actually exists as a primary key entry in its main table.

Accepted Answer

Referential integrity ensures that every foreign key entry actually exists as a primary key entry in its main table. This helps maintain the relationships between tables and prevents orphaned foreign key values.

Question 5

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using shadow systems?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is a disadvantage...

Question 6

Structured query language is a standard query language ________.

Accepted Answer

Structured query language (SQL) is a standard language used to manipulate and retrieve data from relational databases. It allows users to perform operations such as inserting, updating, deleting, and querying data in a structured manner. SQL is widely used across various industries and is essential in managing and analyzing large amounts of data.

Question 7

The process by which users are directed to a copy of the database when the main one fails is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Mirroring is the process by which a duplicate copy of a database is maintained and updated in real-time. If the main database fails, users are automatically directed to the mirrored copy, ensuring minimal disruption to the system. Cloning involves creating an exact replica of a database, while silvering and scaling are not relevant to this context.

Question 8

Shadow systems focus on ________.

Accepted Answer

Shadow systems are created by individuals or departments to fulfill their specific information requirements, often without the knowledge or approval of IT departments. These systems are typically created using spreadsheets, desktop databases, or other software, and can lead to data redundancy, security issues, and difficulties in integrating information with the main information system.

Question 9

One goal of normalization is to make ________.

Accepted Answer

The goal of normalization is to eliminate redundancy and dependency in data by breaking down data into smaller, more manageable tables. This is done by ensuring that each table has a primary key and that all other data in the table is functionally dependent on that key. Option A is incorrect as duplication of information is avoided in normalization. Option B is not a goal of normalization but rather a requirement for a table to be properly normalized. Option C is not a goal of normalization but rather a characteristic of a hierarchical data model.

Question 10

Which product offers voice commands sequenced like a natural conversation, as a means to access a database?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which product offers voice commands sequenced like...

Question 11

A system's ability to handle rapidly increasing demand is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Scalability refers to a system's ability to handle rapidly increasing demand. This means that the system can handle an increased workload without degrading performance or compromising the user experience. Load balancing, parallelism, and caching are all related concepts, but they do not refer specifically to a system's ability to handle rapid growth.

Question 12

Smaller databases developed by individuals or departments that focus on their creator's specific information requirements are known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Smaller databases developed by individuals or departments that focus on their specific information requirements are known as shadow systems.

Question 13

Which of the following ensures that there will be minimum redundancy in a relational database?

Accepted Answer

Foreign keys ensure that there will be minimum redundancy in a relational database by referencing the primary key of another table, thus avoiding the need to store duplicate data.

Question 14

Which of the following is the best approach while handling complex relationships, such as the data for a company where employees can be assigned to more than one project and each project can have more than one employee assigned to it?

Accepted Answer

Normalizing the relationship between "employees" records and "projects" records is the best approach. This involves creating a separate table (often called a junction table or a bridge table) to store the relationship between employees and projects. This table would have foreign keys pointing to both the "employees" table and the "projects" table, allowing for a many-to-many relationship. This approach ensures data integrity and makes it easier to query and manage data in the long run. The other options of creating multiple records or fields can lead to data duplication and inconsistency, and making the relationship hierarchically dependent can be limiting and inflexible.

Question 15

A data model that graphically shows the tables, attributes, keys, and logical relationships for a database is called a ________.

Accepted Answer

A database schema is a graphical representation of the tables, attributes, keys, and logical relationships for a database. A data graph is not a commonly used term in database design. A shadow schema and referential schema are not commonly used terms.

Question 16

A database schema is used to ________.

Accepted Answer

A database schema is a visual representation (graphical documentation) of the database's structure, including tables, fields, and their relationships. It allows designers to plan and document the data model before building the database. Recording details of fields and identifying redundant information are important steps in creating a database schema but are not the primary purpose. Also, creating a backup is a separate process from creating a schema.

Question 17

A foreign key is ________.

Accepted Answer

A foreign key is a primary key that appears as an attribute in a different table, establishing a link or a relationship between the two tables. It enables data from two or more tables to be combined into a single record or a view.

Question 18

The database performance tuning process takes into account ________.

Accepted Answer

Database performance tuning focuses on optimizing how end users access data to ensure efficient and fast retrieval, which directly impacts user experience and system performance.

Question 19

To support an innovative idea for an important business project, a manager chooses to create a separate database system which is not integrated into the enterprise database. This is an example of a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

This situation describes a shadow system, which is a separate database or software system used by employees without the approval or knowledge of IT management or the organization. It is often used to support specific business needs or to test new ideas without disrupting the existing enterprise systems. While shadow systems can be useful in some cases, they can also create data security and management risks.

Question 20

SQL links tables together by ________.

Accepted Answer

SQL links tables together by using their primary and foreign keys, which create a relationship between the tables based on a common field. This allows for efficient data retrieval and manipulation across multiple tables. Cloud computing, incremental numbers, and XML tags are not directly related to how SQL links tables together.

Quiz 4: Managing Information Resources with Databases