Topics from the International Baccalaureate (IB) 2014 Computer Science Guide.
Database: An organised collection of data that can be accessed, managed, and updated.
Field: A single piece of information or data within a database record.
Record: A collection of related data fields within a database.
Table: A collection of related records within a database.
Entity: A person, place, thing, or concept within a database that can be uniquely identified.
Attribute: A characteristic or property of an entity within a database.
Query: A request for data from a database, often expressed in a specific language or format.
Concurrency: The ability of a database management system to allow multiple users to access and modify the database at the same time.
DBMS: Database Management System, a software system that manages the storage and organization of data within a database.
Atomic: A database transaction that is indivisible and must be completed in its entirety or not at all.
ACID: A set of properties that ensure database transactions are processed reliably: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
Atomicity: The property of a database transaction that guarantees that it is treated as a single, indivisible unit of work.
Consistency: The property of a database transaction that guarantees that the database remains in a valid state before and after the transaction.
Isolation: The property of a database transaction that guarantees that it is executed in isolation from other transactions.
Durability: The property of a database transaction that guarantees that once a transaction is committed, its changes are permanent and can survive system failures.
Integrity: The property of a database that ensures the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the data stored within it.
Transaction: A set of operations that are executed as a single unit of work within a database.
Validation: The process of ensuring that the data entered into a database is correct and accurate.
Verification: The process of checking the accuracy and completeness of data stored within a database.
Database Transaction: A sequence of operations that are executed as a single unit of work, such as inserting, updating, or deleting data within a database.
Flat-File Database: A database system in which all the data is stored in a single table.
Relational Database: A database system in which data is stored in multiple tables, each with its own unique key, and relationships between tables are established through keys.
Primary Keys: A unique identifier for a record in a database table, used to establish relationships between tables.
Foreign Keys: A field in one table that refers to the primary key of another table, used to establish relationships between tables.
Composite Keys: A combination of two or more fields that form a unique identifier for a record in a database table.
Candidate Keys: A field or combination of fields in a database table that could be used as the primary key.
Bridge Table: A table used to establish a many-to-many relationship between two tables in a relational database.
Cardinality: The number of records in a table that are related to another table in a database.
Join Type: A method of combining records from two or more tables in a database.
Simple Query: A query that retrieves data from a single table in a database.
Complex Query: A query that retrieves data from multiple tables in a database using various criteria and conditions.
Redundant Data: Data that is duplicated or repeated unnecessarily within a database.
Referential Integrity: The consistency and accuracy of data relationships within a database, maintained through the use of primary and foreign keys.
Normalisation: The process of organising a database to minimise redundancy and maximise efficiency.
Transitive Dependencies: A relationship between three or more fields in a database table, in which a change in one field can affect other fields.
Non-Key Field: A field in a database table that is not used as a primary or foreign key.
SQL: Structured Query Language, a programming language used to manage and manipulate data in relational databases.
