Topic 8: Information-Handling Software_1

Topic 8: Information-Handling Software_1

1. Database: Is an organised collection of related data. Its possible to add, edit, manage and retrieve data from a database. The structure of a database allows data to be found and used quickly

2. Data types

   • Number (integer) Example - 43 Description - A whole negative number (positive or negative)but no fractions.
   • Number (real) Example - 435,256 Description - Any number, including whole numbers and fractions.
   • Text or string Example John Smith Description - Letters, numbers or other charachters such as puntuation marks.
   • Data/ Time Example - 24/09/00 22:04 DeSCRIPTION - Any time or date; the way the time or date is displayed depends on how its formatted
   • Currency Example - £13.55 Description - Money £ (including foreign currency $)
   • Boolean Example - Yes Desciption - Two opposing sates e.g. true or false, male or female, yes or no.
   • Lists Example - Red, Green, Blue Description - A list of values, sometimes called a "drop-down" list; only data from the list can be selected.
   • PIcture Example Description - Image data, from a digigtal camera,mobliephone, the internet, a clip- art library or scanned in image
   • Sound Example - A sound or music clip Description - A beep from a barcode reader or popular song
   • Video Example - A moving picture Description - A video introduction to computer game or a downloaded film/ TV programme.

3. Files, Records and Files

   • A field is a single item of data within a record
   • A record consists of a collection of related fields
   • Example of a field e.g. surname: text date of birth: date/time selling pricing: currency
   • Example of a record Pupil's record in a school database only has the fields related to that pupils (surname, forename, date of birth,form etc.) and not another pupils data
   • Example of a file/ table: The table of records f all pupils in the school
   • Key field: A key fields uniquely identities each record. No two records have the same data in their key field. Also known as Primary Key.

Images and files in the map