Review Questions

   

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Summary

At the beginning of this chapter we looked at the importance of being concerned with database design. You now understand that database design is crucial to the integrity and consistency of the data contained in a database. We have seen that the chief problem resulting from improper or poor design is inaccurate information . Proper design is of paramount concern because bad design can adversely affect the information used by an organization.

Next, we entered into a discussion of the importance of theory, as well as its relevance to the relational database model, and you learned that the model's foundation in mathematical theory makes it a very sound and reliable structure.

Following this discussion, we looked at the advantages gained by learning a design methodology. Among other things, using a good methodology yields an efficient and reliable database structure, reduces the time it takes to design a database, and allows you to avoid the typical problems caused by poor design.

Next, we listed the objectives of good design. Meeting these objectives is crucial to the success of the database-design process because they help you ensure that the database structure is sound. We then enumerated the advantages of good design, and you learned that the time you invest in designing a sound database structure is time well spent.

We closed this chapter with a short discussion of traditional database-design methods and an explanation of the premise behind the design method presented in this book. By now, you understand that traditional design methods are complex and can take some time to learn and comprehend. On the other hand, the design method used in this book is presented in a clear and straightforward manner, is easy to implement, and will yield the same results as the traditional design methodology.

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