I.

DATABASE TERMINOLOGIES

1. A field is a named unit of information. Each entry in a database activity

module can have multiple fields of multiple types e.g. a text field called
'favourite color' which allows you to type in your favourite shade, or a menu
called 'state' that lets you choose one from a list of the 50 that make up the
United States of America. By combining several fields with appropriate names
and types you should be able to capture all the relevant information about the
items in your database.

2. A database record is a row of data in a database table consisting of a single value from
each column of data in the table. The data in the columns in a table are all of the same
type of data, whereas the rows represent a given instance.
Example Table:

II. Field name and description

All fields ask you for a name and a description when you create them. Field names must be unique
and they should be short and sensible.

Field types
Checkbox
Allows one or more checkboxes. Each line in the options box is a different checkbox. The text entered is what
will be the case if the checkbox is checked e.g. 'valid' for something that can be valid or not. This word will
appear beside the checkbox on entry, and then by itself when viewing if the box has been checked. If you
wish to ensure that the user actively selects one of the options you can use radio buttons instead
Multiple checkboxes could be used, for example, in a movie database that has Horror, Comedy, Western etc.
checkboxes for different film genres, and you would be able to check more than one in the case of Horror-
Comedies or Comedy-Westerns. The menu (multi-select) field also achieves this, but clicking multiple
checkboxes is usually a more obvious interface.
Date
Allows users to enter a date by picking a day, month and year from a drop down list.
File
Asks users to upload a file from their computer. If it is an image file then the picture field may be a better
choice.
Menu
The text entered in the options area will be presented as a drop-down list for the user to choose from. Each
line become a different option.
Menu (Multi-select)
The text entered in the options area will be presented as a list for the user to choose from and each line
become a different option. By holding down control or shift as they click, users will be able to select multiple
options. This is a fairly advanced computer skill so it may be wise to use multiple checkboxes instead.
Number
Stores a floating number. Examples:
-1000
0
0.123
Picture
The user can upload an image file from their computer.
Radio buttons
Allows the user to choose one from a range of options. If the user doesn't select any of these options then
they will be prompted to do so and can only submit the entry when one option is chosen.
If you only have two options and they are opposites (true/false, yes/no) then you could simply use a single
checkbox instead. However checkboxes default to their unchecked status and so people could submit
without actively selecting one of the options. This may not always be appropriate.
Text
Users can enter text up to 60 characters in length. For longer text, or for text that requires formatting such as
headers and bullet points, you can use a textarea field.
Textarea
Allows users to enter a long piece of text including formatting similar to that found when creating forum
posts. Max number of characters in text area = ?
URL
Ask the user to enter a URL. If you select autolink then the URL becomes a clickable link. If you also enter
a forced name for the link then that text will be used for the hyperlink. For example in a database of authors
you may wish people to enter the author's website. If you enter the text 'homepage' as a forced name then
clicking on text "homepage" will take you to the entered URL.
Latitude/longitude
In Moodle 1.7 onwards, users can enter a geographic location, by specifying the location's latitude and
longitude. For example, Moodle HQ is at latitude -31.9545, longitude 115.877. When viewing the record,
links are automatically generated linking to geographic data services such as Google
Earth, OpenStreetMap, GeaBios,Mapstars and more. (The teacher can choose which of those links
appear, if any.)

III. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FILE PROCESSING AND DATABASE

1. Files act locally where as DBMS saves directly in a database

2. Saves in temporary locations where as DBMS in well arranged and permanent data base
locations
3. In File Sys., transactions are not possible where as various transactions like
insert,delete,view,updating etc r possible in DBMS
4. Data will be accessed through single or various files where as in DBMS, tables (schema)
is used to access data
5. A "File manager" is used to store all relationships in directories in File Systems where as a
data base manager (administrator) stores the relationship in form of structural tables
6. Last.... but not the least.... Data in data bases are more secure compared to data in files!!

IV. The basic steps in planning a database are as follows:

1. Collect information
2. Identify key objects or entities
3. Model key objects
4. Identify the types of information for each object or entity
5. Identify the relationships between objects or entities

V. Fundamental File Processing Operations - Presentation Transcript

1. Fundamental File Processing Operations Physical files and Logical files Opening files Closing
files Reading and Writing Seeking Special Characters in Files

2. Physical Files and Logical Files

o Physical file

o A file that actually exists on secondary storage. It is the file as known by the computer
operating system and that appears in its file directory.

3.
o Logical Files

o The file as seen by the program. The use of logical files allows a program to describe
operations to be performed on a file without knowing what actual physical file will be
used. The program may then be used to process any one of a number of different files that
share the same structure.

Physical Files and Logical Files

4. Opening Files

o 2 ways of manipulation of files:

o Open an existing file

o Create a new file, deleting any existing contents in the physical file.

5. Closing Files

o Analogy

o Telephone line, like hanging up the phone. When you hang up the phone, the phone
is available for taking or placing another call; when you close a file, the logical file name or
file descriptor is available for use with another file. Closing a file that has been used for
output also ensures that everything has been written to the file.

6. Reading and Writing

o Fundamental to file processing

o Actions that make file processing an input/output (I/O) operation.

7. Seeking

o The action of moving directly to a certain position in a file.

o Requires at least two pieces of information, source file and offset.

o Source file – the logical file name in which the seek will occur

o Offset – the number of positions in the file the pointer is to be moved from the start
of the file.

8. Special Characters in Files

o Creating a file structures may encounter some difficulty with extra, unexpected
characters that turn up in the files, with characters that disappear, and with numeric
counts that are inserted into the files.