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Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Databases
Databases
As technology continues to redefine the way our world works, databases are becoming an increasingly popular way to store and retrieve information. A database is a structured collection of information that can be stored in a computer for easy retrieval. There are four main types of databases: Flat Model, Hierarchical Model, Relational Model, and Network Model.
In the Flat Model, information is organized into a two dimensional structure. Each unit of information used as an input will have exactly one output. For example, an excel spreadsheet listing the names of each student in our class and their age could be considered a Flat Model database.
The Hierarchal Model follows a tree structure in which information is categorized into various levels in a nested fashion. Each category of information may contain a subset into which more information is organized. An example of a Hierarchal Model is the way in which Microsoft Windows organizes its file folders. Each folder can contain several documents and subsets into which information can be organized.
In the Network Model, data is stored in various categories that can be linked to each other. Different sets of records can be related to one other.
The Relational Model is the most commonly used type of database. Relational Databases can be extremely useful tools to store and quickly retrieve information. In this type of database, information is stored in the form tables. For example, a company that ships goods may have a database used to store information regarding customer orders. This database would consist of several tables in which various pieces of information on different aspects of customer orders could be stored.
These databases have several practical uses.
Sem students use databases every day to do research for their various classes. “It’s a lot easier to find information from credible sources on the school’s subscription databases than it is to find in books or on Google,” says Danielle Chichiletti, class of 2012. She claims to go straight to these databases whenever she has to do a research project because “you know that these databases only use trustworthy sources, so if you have to hand in a bibliography you can avoid citing less credible sources.”
Although these subscription sites are useful for doing extensive research, students claim to only use them when necessary. “It’s so much more quick and easy to just Google something to find out more about that topic,” says Sarah Spillane, class of 2013. “Unless you have to research for a class, it’s just more practical to use Google because it only takes a few seconds to find what you’re looking for.”
As technology continues to redefine the way our world works, databases are becoming an increasingly popular way to store and retrieve information. A database is a structured collection of information that can be stored in a computer for easy retrieval. There are four main types of databases: Flat Model, Hierarchical Model, Relational Model, and Network Model.
In the Flat Model, information is organized into a two dimensional structure. Each unit of information used as an input will have exactly one output. For example, an excel spreadsheet listing the names of each student in our class and their age could be considered a Flat Model database.
The Hierarchal Model follows a tree structure in which information is categorized into various levels in a nested fashion. Each category of information may contain a subset into which more information is organized. An example of a Hierarchal Model is the way in which Microsoft Windows organizes its file folders. Each folder can contain several documents and subsets into which information can be organized.
In the Network Model, data is stored in various categories that can be linked to each other. Different sets of records can be related to one other.
The Relational Model is the most commonly used type of database. Relational Databases can be extremely useful tools to store and quickly retrieve information. In this type of database, information is stored in the form tables. For example, a company that ships goods may have a database used to store information regarding customer orders. This database would consist of several tables in which various pieces of information on different aspects of customer orders could be stored.
These databases have several practical uses.
Sem students use databases every day to do research for their various classes. “It’s a lot easier to find information from credible sources on the school’s subscription databases than it is to find in books or on Google,” says Danielle Chichiletti, class of 2012. She claims to go straight to these databases whenever she has to do a research project because “you know that these databases only use trustworthy sources, so if you have to hand in a bibliography you can avoid citing less credible sources.”
Although these subscription sites are useful for doing extensive research, students claim to only use them when necessary. “It’s so much more quick and easy to just Google something to find out more about that topic,” says Sarah Spillane, class of 2013. “Unless you have to research for a class, it’s just more practical to use Google because it only takes a few seconds to find what you’re looking for.”
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