Comped321L Quiz 8

1. Define the term, database, and explain how a database interacts with data
and information.

A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images.

 Data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables.

Information in its most restricted technical sense is an ordered sequence of symbols that record or transmit a message. 

2. Describe file maintenance techniques (adding records, modifying records,
deleting records) and validation techniques.

File maintenance refers to the procedures that keep data current. File maintenance procedures include adding records to correct inaccurate data or to update old data with new data, and deleting records when they no longer are needed.

Validation is the process of comparing data with a set of rules or values to find out if the data is correct. Many programs perform a validity check that analyzes data, either as you enter it or after you enter it, to help ensure that it is correct.

Types of validity checks include an alphabetic check, a numeric check, a range check, a consistency check, a completeness check, and a check digit.

3. Discuss the terms character, field, record, and file.

Character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to agrapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language.

 Field is a combination of one or more related characters
 Record is a group of related fields
 File is a collection of related records

4. Discuss the functions common to most database management systems:
data dictionary, file retrieval and maintenance, data security, and backup
and recovery.

   

Data dictionary contains data about each file in a database and each field within      the files.

 Backup - is the copy of the database.A log is a listing of activities that change the contents of the database. 

 Recovery Utility - uses the logs and/or backups to restore the database.

5. Differentiate between a file processing approach and the database
approach.

A database coordinates the physical and logical access to the data; a file-processing system only coordinates physical access to the data

 
6. Describe characteristics of relational, object-oriented, and
multidimensional databases.

A relational database stores data in tables that consist of rows and columns

Object-oriented databases often use Object Query Language (OQL) to manipulate and retrieve data.   

 A multidimensional database can store data in more than two dimensions of data

7. Explain how to access Web databases.

To access data in a Web database, you fill on the form or enter search text on a Web page. A Web database usually resides on a database server, which is a computer that store and provides access to a database.

8. Define the term, computer security risks, and briefly describe the types
of cybercrime perpetrators: hacker, cracker, script kiddie, corporate spy,
unethical employee, cyberextortionist, and cyberterrorist.

Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as Information Security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible and productive to its intended users. 

Hacker refers to a computer programmer who is able to create usable computer programs where none previously existed. 

Cracker is a variation of hacker , with the analogy equal to a safe cracker. Some individuals use the term cracker in an attempt to differentiate from the honorable computer programmer definition of hacker.

Script kiddy is an individual who executes computer scripts and programs written by others. Their motive is to hack a computer by using someone else’s software.

Corporate Spy - have excellent computer and networking skills and are hired to break into a specific computer and steal its proprietary data and information.

Unethical employee - break into their employers' computer for a variety of reasons.   Some simply want to exploit security weakness.

Cyberextortionist - is someone who uses e-mail as a vehicle for extortion. These perpetrator s send an organization a threatening e-mail message indicating they will expose confidential information, exploit a security flaw, or launch an attack that will compromise the organization s network - if they are not paid of a sum of money.

Cyber-terrorist - a programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to steal or change or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism.

9. Identify database design guidelines and discuss the responsibilities of database analysts and administrators.

Database Analysts and Database Administrators are responsible for managing and    coordinating all database activities. 

Database Analysts (DA) - focuses on the meaning and usage of data. The DA decides on the placement of fields, defines the relationships among data, and identifies user's access privilege.

Database Administrators (DBA) requires a more technical inside view of the data. The DBA creates and maintains the data dictionary, manages data security, monitors database performance, and checks backup and recovery procedures.  

10. Discuss techniques to prevent unauthorized computer access and use.

Software patches, updates, and drivers are made available, often for free, to consumers to help keep a software program and operating systems running properly and secure. If the program you're using does not have any method of checking for updates on its own it is up to you to verify the program is up-to-date. Often this can be done by visiting the web site of the developer who created the program.