OBJECTIVES

• Define data-related terms such as entity and attribute and storage-related terms such as field, record, and file.
• Identify the four basic operations performed on stored data.
• Compare sequential access of data with direct access of data.
• Discuss the problems encountered in a non-database information systems environment.
• List the five basic principles of the database concept.
• Describe how data can be considered to be a manageable resource.
• List the three problems created by data redundancy.
• Describe the nature of data redundancy among many files.
• Explain the relationship between data integration and data redundancy in one file.
• State the primary defining feature of a database management system.
• Explain why the ability to store multiple relationships is an important feature of the database approach.