Databases

A database is an organised collection of related data. Databases come in two main types which are computerised and non-computerised. I used a computerised database because it is less bulky, is simple to update, the data can be integrated with other software applications and it can display the data a variety of ways. I also used a computerised database because it is a Computing Studies course.

The database management system (DBMS) I used was Microsoft Access. This is a relational database. A query language is one of the main four features of a DBMS. I used the query language to combine data and to choose specific data.

When it came to choosing data structure, a relational DBMS was used as it is easy to understand and set up, flexible, can produce reports and processes queries quickly and effectively. The database design involved creating the tables for the database. A primary key was created as it is an essential part of a relational database to uniquely identify records.

A form allows users to easily enter, change or view records in a database. An example of a form I created was for Movie Grosses. Data entry has been made easier by grouping similar fields, using colours to highlight areas and not cluttering the screen. Forms have also been used to provide a menu system to access the database. The fonts have been chosen to suit each form. Larger fonts were used for headings and some text was given different styles such as three-dimensional looks.

Queries have been used to select specific records. An example of a query was selecting movies which matched both the Movie Grosses and Movie Votes tables. This query also used a join between the two tables to produce the result and is found at Movie Matches.

Throughout the creation of the database, data constantly needed to be amended, inserted or deleted. A few times, the structure of the database needed to be changed including changing field types and adding a new field. The data manipulation language was used to update, retrieve, delete and sort the data in the database. Tables such as Movie Votes have also been sorted. In that table the Year field was sorted in descending order.

Reports allow data to be presented in pleasant and meaningful ways. A report generator was used and allowed the inclusion of date, page numbering, headers and footers. The report for Movie Grosses can be seen on this screenshot.

Data integration allows data from the database to be shared with other applications. Data was transferred from the database to a spreadsheet to produce several graphs. File conversion filters were used when exporting database files, while the clipboard was used to copy small portions of a table.