Information Systems Exam Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 1. Although a database can consist of only a single file, it is usually a group of files. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 2. A database is a critical component of information systems because any type of analysis that is done is based on data available in the database. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 3. An advantage that a database has over a flat file system is that more information can be generated from the same data. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 4. Labor and population statistics are examples of sources for internal data that are accessed by a database. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 5. Disks are sequential access devices, whereas tapes are random access devices. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 6. With the indexed sequential access method (ISAM), records cannot be accessed randomly. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 7. The network model is similar to the hierarchical data model because records are organized in the same way. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 8. A select operation pares down a table in a database by eliminating columns according to certain criteria. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 9. A database engine converts logical requests from users into their physical equivalents by interacting with other components of the database management system (DBMS). a. True b. False ANSWER: True 10. The use of the OR operator means that only one of the conditions in a structured query language (SQL) statement must be met. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 11. An e-commerce site that needs frequent updates would benefit from the use of a static Web site. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 12. A distributed database is not limited by the data’s physical location. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 13. In contrast to the query languages used to interact with a relational database, interaction with an object-oriented database takes places via methods that are called by sending a message to an object. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 14. Data in a database is used for analytical purposes, whereas data in a data warehouse is used for capturing and managing transactions. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 15. As compared to data warehouses, consolidating information from different departments or functional areas is easier in data marts. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 16. Business intelligence uses scorecards and query reports to support decision-making activities, whereas business analytics uses data mining tools and predictive modeling. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 17. The popularity of social networks has contributed to the growth of big data. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 18. Identify a true statement about a database. a. A database is similar to a filing cabinet where data can be retrieved faster. b. A database is an alternative for developing information systems. c. A database is the core of any global information system. d. A database is a crucial tool for managing overseas subsidiaries. ANSWER: a 19. Identify an advantage of using a database over a flat file system. a. Hardware and software start-up costs are low. b. It is simple and easy to design. c. Programs and data are interdependent. d. It uses more sophisticated security measures. ANSWER: d 20. Identify a true statement about a flat file system. a. Data in a flat file system may not be updated in all files consistently. b. Data in a flat file system can be easily managed. c. Data in a flat file system can be updated efficiently. d. Data duplication in a flat file system is very efficient. ANSWER: a 21. The database component of an information system can generate sufficient business intelligence by accessing the _____ data of an organization. a. external and internal b. aggregated and disaggregated c. qualitative and quantitative d. slicing and dicing ANSWER: a 22. The _____ method is effective when a large number of records are processed less frequently, perhaps on a quarterly or yearly basis. a. sequential access file structure b. random access file structure c. indexed sequential access d. physical view access ANSWER: a 23. Identify a file structure that is similar to a book index that lists page numbers where certain topics can be found. a. Indexed sequential access method b. Indexed network access structure c. Indexed random access file structure d. Indexed hierarchical model method ANSWER: a 24. In a database, which of the following is a source of internal data? a. Tax records b. Sales records c. Distribution networks d. Economic indicators ANSWER: b 25. Which of the following is an example of a source for external data? a. Tax records b. Sales records c. Transaction records d. Personnel records ANSWER: a 26. The _____ view of a database involves how data is stored on and retrieved from storage media. a. physical b. logical c. rational d. analytical ANSWER: a 27. Identify the number of physical views of data for a database. a. Only one b. Only two c. Multiple d. Zero ANSWER: a 28. The first step in database design is defining a _____, which defines how data is created, represented, organized, and maintained. a. data warehouse b. data mart c. data dictionary d. data model ANSWER: d 29. Which of the following components of a data model describes methods and calculations that can be performed on data, such as updating and querying data? a. Data structure b. Operations c. Integrity rules d. File structure ANSWER: b 30. _____, a component of a data model, defines the boundaries of a database, such as maximum and minimum values allowed for a field. a. Data structure b. Operations c. Integrity rules d. Product line ANSWER: c 31. In a(n) _____ model, nodes with the same parents are called siblings. a. hierarchical b. network c. relational d. object-based ANSWER: a 32. In a(n) _____ model, each record can have multiple parent and child records. a. network b. hierarchical c. object-oriented d. relational ANSWER: a 33. In a relational database model, the rows are known as _____. a. tuples b. attributes c. branches d. roots ANSWER: a 34. In a relational database model, the columns are known as _____. a. attributes b. tuples c. branches d. roots ANSWER: a 35. To begin designing a relational database, one must define the _____ by defining each table and the fields in it. a. physical structure b. logical structure c. primary key d. foreign key ANSWER: b 36. The _____ stores definitions, such as data types for fields, default values, and validation rules for data in each field. a. data dictionary b. data mine c. data warehouse d. data mart ANSWER: a 37. In a relational database model, when a primary key for one table appears in another table, it is called a _____ key. a. secondary b. foreign c. serial d. domain ANSWER: b 38. _____ improves database efficiency by eliminating redundant data and ensuring that only related data is stored in a table. a. Optimization b. Fragmentation c. Normalization d. Encapsulation ANSWER: c 39. In a relational database model, a(n) _____ operation searches data in a table and retrieves records based on certain criteria. a. insert b. join c. find d. select ANSWER: d 40. In a relational database model, a(n) _____ operation pares down a table by eliminating columns according to certain criteria. a. project b. join c. find d. insert ANSWER: a 41. The _____ component of a database management system (DBMS) is responsible for data storage, manipulation, and retrieval. a. database storage b. database output c. database extraction d. database engine ANSWER: d 42. The _____ component of a database management system (DBMS) is used to create and maintain the data dictionary. a. data manipulation b. data generation c. data definition d. data administration ANSWER: c 43. The _____ component of a database management system (DBMS) is used to add, delete, modify, and retrieve records from a database. a. data manipulation b. data generation c. data definition d. data administration ANSWER: a 44. The _____ operator, discussed in data manipulation, is used when all the conditions in a query by example (QBE) form are required to be met. a. NOT b. AND c. OR d. MIS ANSWER: b 45. The component that is used to design elements of an application using a database, such as data entry screens, interactive menus, and interfaces, with other programming languages is the _____ component. a. application generation b. application definition c. application administration d. application manipulation ANSWER: a 46. The data _____ component of a database management system (DBMS) is used for tasks such as backup and recovery, security, and change management. a. manipulation b. generation c. definition d. administration ANSWER: d 47. In the context of data administration component, the acronym CRUD stands for _____. a. create, read, update, and delete b. copy, revise, undo, and define c. create, repeat, undo, and develop d. copy, read, update, and define ANSWER: a 48. A database administrator is responsible for _____. a. developing recovery procedures in case data is lost or corrupted b. maintaining (keeping) an organization’s computer network up to date c. writing computer programs that allow the system to perform a specific task d. designing and implementing the information systems ANSWER: a 49. In well-designed data-driven Web sites, changes are made to the _____ code every time a Web site’s data content changes. a. Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) b. Java c. Python d. C# ANSWER: a 50. A(n) _____ is not limited by the data’s physical location. a. distributed database b. relational database c. object-oriented database d. semi-structured database ANSWER: a 51. The _____ approach, used to set up a distributed database management system (DDBMS), combines fragmentation and replication. a. optimization b. allocation c. encapsulation d. normalization ANSWER: b 52. A data _____ is a collection of data from a variety of sources used to support decision- making applications and generate business intelligence. a. dictionary b. pattern c. mine d. warehouse ANSWER: d 53. Data warehouses are sometimes called “hypercubes” because they _____. a. are function oriented b. store multidimensional data c. capture raw transaction data d. manage transactions ANSWER: b 54. In contrast to data in a database, discussed in data warehouses, the subject-oriented characteristic _____. a. captures raw transaction data b. manages data transactions c. focuses on a specific area d. keeps recent activity in memory ANSWER: c 55. Which of the following data sources provides the input a data warehouse needs to perform analyses and generate reports? a. Online analytical processing systems b. Online transaction processing systems c. Enterprise resource planning systems d. Data mining analysis systems ANSWER: c 56. In a data warehouse, _____ means collecting data from a variety of sources and converting it into a format that can be used in transformation processing. a. extraction b. transformation c. optimization d. aggregation ANSWER: a 57. In data warehouses, _____ is information in its original form. a. summary data b. raw data c. paradata d. metadata ANSWER: b 58. In data warehouses, _____ gives users subtotals of various categories, which can be useful. a. summary data b. raw data c. open data d. metadata ANSWER: a 59. In data warehouses, _____ is information about data—its content, quality, condition, origin, and other characteristics. a. metadata b. big data c. summary data d. raw data ANSWER: a 60. A _____ is usually a smaller version of a data warehouse, used by a single department or function. a. data domain b. data mine c. data dictionary d. data mart ANSWER: d 61. Which of the following statements is true of data marts and data warehouses? a. Consolidating information from different departments is easier in data marts than in data warehouses. b. Data marts have more extended scope than data warehouses. c. Access to data is often slower in data marts than in data warehouses. d. Despite being smaller, data marts can usually perform the same type of analysis as data warehouses. ANSWER: d 62. Business analytics uses _____ to support decision-making activities. a. data mining tools b. dashboards c. query reports d. application generators ANSWER: a 63. Which of the following statements is true of big data? a. It is a consequence of geometric decay of data in data warehouses. b. It can be efficiently processed and managed by conventional computing methods. c. Its three dimensions are value, density, and uniformity. d. It is a result of exponential growth of data in both public and private organizations. ANSWER: d 64. The _____ dimension of big data refers to the sheer quantity of transactions, measured in petabytes or exabytes. a. viscosity b. volume c. area d. time ANSWER: b 65. The variety dimension of big data refers to a combination of _____. a. data warehouses and data marts b. raw data and metadata c. structured data and unstructured data d. data definition and data manipulation ANSWER: c 66. Which of the following is a key factor that has contributed to the growth and popularity of big data? a. Implosion in data growth b. Brick and mortar businesses c. Mobile and wireless technology d. Exponential decay of organizational data ANSWER: c 67. Which of the following factors has made big data analytics accessible to nearly all types of organizations? a. Significant improvements in storage technology b. Flat file organization of data c. Significant increase in costs d. Increase in the volume of business data ANSWER: a 68. A _________ is a collection of related data that is stored in a central location or multiple locations. A. database B. data mart C. data warehouse D. data hierarchy ANSWER: database 69. A data _________ is the structure and organization of data, which involves fields, records, and files. A. hierarchy B. mart C. warehouse D. mine ANSWER: data hierarchy 70. A _________ is software for creating, storing, maintaining, and accessing database files. A. database management system B. data hierarchy C. data model D. data warehouse ANSWER: database management system (DBMS 71. In a(n) _________ file structure, records in files are organized and processed in numerical order. A. sequential access B. random access C. indexed access D. direct access ANSWER: sequential access 72. In a(n) _________ file structure, records can be accessed in any order, regardless of their physical location in storage media. A. sequential access B. random access C. indexed access D. direct access ANSWER: random access 73. The advantage of _________ is that both sequential and random access can be used, depending on the situation and the user’s needs. A. indexed sequential access method (ISAM) B. sequential access method C. direct access method D. random access method ANSWER: indexed sequential access method (ISAM) 74. The _________ view of a database involves how information appears to users and how it can be organized and retrieved. A. logical B. physical C. catalog D. complex ANSWER: logical 75. In a _________ model, the relationships among records form a treelike structure. A. hierarchical B. relational C. network D. data ANSWER: hierarchical 76. In a relational database, every record must be uniquely identified by a _________ key. A. primary B. super C. foreign D. candidate ANSWER: primary 77. In large organizations, database design and management is handled by the database _________. A. administrator B. server C. mapper D. developer ANSWER: database administrator 78. Grouping objects along with their attributes and methods into a class is called _________. A. encapsulation B. fragmentation C. allocation D. optimization ANSWER: encapsulation 79. _________, used in object-oriented databases, refers to new objects being created faster and more easily by entering new data in attributes. A. Inheritance B. Encapsulation C. Fragmentation D. Instance ANSWER: Inheritance 80. _________ is used to facilitate and manage transaction-oriented applications, such as pointof-sale, data entry, and retrieval transaction processing. A. Online transaction processing (OLTP) B. Online analytical processing (OLAP) C. Extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) D. Business analytics (BA) ANSWER: Online transaction processing (OLTP) 81. _________ tools are also capable of “drilling up,” proceeding from the smallest unit of data to higher levels. A. Online analytical processing (OLAP) B. Online transaction processing (OLTP) C. Extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) D. Business analytics (BA) ANSWER: Online analytical processing (OLAP) 82. _________ analysis is used to discover patterns and relationships. A. Data-mining B. Data mart C. Data pattern D. Data toggle ANSWER: Data-mining 83. Fred has been assigned to create a database for a college. What are the types of files and fields he has to include in the college database? ANSWER: A college database might have files for students, staff, faculty, and courses. The fields consist of Social Security number, student name, and address. 84. In the past, why was data stored in “flat files”? ANSWER: In the past, data was stored in a series of files called “flat files” because they were not arranged in a hierarchy, and there was no relationship among these files. 85. What are some of the sources of external data? ANSWER: Some of the sources of external data are: Competitors, customers, and suppliers Distribution networks Economic indicators (for example, the consumer price index) Government regulations Labor and population statistics Tax records 86. Describe how files are accessed in a random access file structure. ANSWER: In a random access file structure, records can be accessed in any order, regardless of their physical location in storage media. This method of access is fast and very effective when a small number of records need to be processed daily or weekly. 87. Explain the ways in which information in a database is observed through a physical view. ANSWER: The physical view involves how data is stored on and retrieved from storage media, such as hard disks, magnetic tapes, or CDs. For each database, there is only one physical view of data. 88. What is a relational database model? ANSWER: A relational database model uses a two-dimensional table of rows and columns of data. Rows are records (also called tuples), and columns are fields (also referred to as attributes). 89. Describe the tasks performed in the first normal form (1NF) stage of normalization. ANSWER: The following three tasks are performed in the 1NF stage: a. Eliminating duplicated fields from the same table b. Creating separate tables for each group of related data c. Identifying each record with a unique field (the primary key) 90. Describe how data stored in a relational model is retrieved from tables. ANSWER: Data stored in a relational model is retrieved from tables by using operations that pick and combine data from one or more tables. There are several operations, such as select, project, join, intersect, union, and difference. The first three operations are the most commonly used. 91. What is the function of the data definition component of a database management system? ANSWER: The data definition component is used to create and maintain the data dictionary and define the structure of files in a database. 92. What is structured query language (SQL)? ANSWER: Structured query language (SQL) is a standard fourth-generation query language used by many DBMS packages, such as Oracle Database 11g and Microsoft SQL Server. 93. What is a data-driven Web site? ANSWER: A data-driven Web site acts as an interface to a database, retrieving data for users and allowing users to enter data in the database. 94. What is the function of a distributed database management system (DDBMS)? ANSWER: A distributed database management system (DDBMS) stores data on multiple servers throughout an organization. 95. Describe the fragmentation approach to setting up a distributed database management system. ANSWER: The fragmentation approach to setting up a distributed database management system addresses how tables are divided among multiple locations. There are three variations: horizontal, vertical, and mixed. 96. Describe the loading process used in data warehouses. ANSWER: Loading is the process of transferring data to the data warehouse. Depending on an organization’s needs and the data warehouse’s storage capacity, loading might overwrite existing data or add collected data to existing data. 97. What is business analytics? ANSWER: Business analytics (BA) uses data and statistical methods to gain insight into the data and provide decision makers with information they can act on. 98. What are the advantages of a database over a flat file system? ANSWER: A database has the following advantages over a flat file system: a. More information can be generated from the same data. b. Complex requests can be handled more easily. c. Data redundancy is eliminated or minimized. d. Programs and data are independent, so more than one program can use the same data. e. Data management is improved. f. A variety of relationships among data can be easily maintained. g. More sophisticated security measures can be used. h. Storage space is reduced. 99. List the responsibilities of a database administrator (DBA). ANSWER: A database administrator’s (DBA’s) responsibilities include: a. Designing and setting up a database b. Establishing security measures to determine users’ access rights c. Developing recovery procedures in case data is lost or corrupted d. Evaluating database performance e. Adding and fine-tuning database functions 100. Describe the features and benefits of an object-oriented database. ANSWER: Like object-oriented programming, object-oriented database represents real-world entities with database objects. An object consists of attributes (characteristics describing an entity) and methods (operations or calculations) that can be performed on the object’s data. For example, a real-world car can be represented by an object in the Vehicle class. Objects in this class have attributes of year, make, model, and license number, for example. One can then use methods to work with data in a Vehicle object, such as the AddVehicle method to add a car to the database. Thinking of classes as categories or types of objects can be helpful. 101. List and describe the features of data in a data warehouse in contrast to data in a database. ANSWER: Data in a data warehouse is described as having the following characteristics in contrast to data in a database: a. Subject oriented—Data in a data warehouse is focused on a specific area, such as the home improvement business or a university. Data in a database is transaction/function oriented. b. Integrated—Data in a data warehouse comes from a variety of sources, whereas data in a database usually does not. c. Time variant— Data in a data warehouse is categorized based on time, such as historical information, whereas data in a database only keeps recent activity in memory. d. Type of data—Data in a data warehouse captures aggregated data, whereas data in a database captures raw transaction data. e. Purpose—Data in a data warehouse is used for analytical purposes, whereas data in a database is used for capturing and managing transactions. 102. Explain the transformation processes used in data warehouses. ANSWER: The tasks of transformation processing include the following: a. Selecting only certain columns or rows to load b. Translating coded values, such as replacing Yes with 1 and No with 2 c. Performing select, project, and join operations on data d. Sorting and filtering data e. Aggregating and summarizing data before loading it in the warehouse 103. What are the advantages of a data mart over a data warehouse? ANSWER: A data mart has the following advantages over a data warehouse: a. Access to data is often faster because of their smaller size. b. Response time for users is improved. c. They are easier to create because they are smaller and often less complex. d. They are less expensive. e. Users are targeted better, because a data mart is designed for a specific department or division; identifying their requirements and the functions they need is easier. A data warehouse is designed for an entire organization’s use. 104. What are the areas in the retail industry that can benefit from big data? ANSWER: The retail industry could benefit from big data analytics and gain a competitive advantage in the following areas: a. Customer relationship management b. Tailoring retail offerings to customer needs c. Offering personalized service d. Finding optimum store location and layout