Chapter 7- Database Applications and Privacy Implications

Database- collection of info organized in a fashion, making it easy to retrieve and reference or a collection of information stored on a computer disk.

• We use several databases in our everyday life, eventhough we don't know it.

Example: Using a telaphone book: you search for the number inside the database (inside the Telephone book).
Unique Identifier- combination between two fields.

• Databases help with analyze small pieces of information in little of time, helps share knowlege.

Google is one of the most successful companies on WWW.

• Google is a search engine for web pages, shopping, research, and pretty much anything!!

Creators? Sergey Brin and Larry Page

Database Software: application software, designed to maintain databases.

Computer Databases come with many advantages that include an easier way to store large quantities of information, to retrieve information quickly, and organize information.

Database Program: a software tool for organizing the storage and retrieval of information.

• Databases are usually composed of one or more tables, a collection of related information, and a collection of records.
• A record is the information relating to one person, product or event
• What a field can hold is determined by its field type or data type.
• Database programs provide you with more than one way to view data. These include:
• Form Views:
• Line Views:

Database Operations include:

• Import: recieve data in the form of text files
• Browse: navigate through info
• Query: find records that match specific criteria

Sort: rearrange records

• Print reports, labels and form letters: a report is an ordered list of selected records and fields in an easy- to-read format.

Most modern database management programs support  a standard language for programming complex quieries called SQL. Which is available for many database management systems, programmers and users dont need to learn new languages when they work with new systems.

• The graphical user interfaces allow point-and-check queries that insulate users from the complexities of the query language.

Specialized database
Geogrpahical Info sustems:
Personal information manager
Automates
Handheld Computers

File manager:
Database management system:
DBMS can be used interactively, or can be controlled directly by other programs.

What makes a database relational?
To miost users a relational database program is one that allows tables to be related to each other.
To computer scientists, the term relational database has a technical definition related to the underlying structure of the date and the rule specifying how that data can be manipilated.