ITPEC FE Subject A October 2024 Question 18
Which of the following is a database design that consists of multiple tables with rows and columns that are linked together through matching data stored in each table?
Explanation
Relational database — data kept in tables of rows and columns, linked by matching values such as a foreign key equal to another table's primary key.
In the relational model every table (relation) has rows (tuples) and columns (attributes). Relationships are not stored as pointers: a row refers to a row in another table by holding the same value, for example an order row stores the customer number found in the customer table, and SQL joins match those values.
Answer (d)
Why not others:
- •(a) Hierarchical database — records form a tree of parent–child links, each child with one parent, reached by following pointers rather than matching values
- •(b) Network database — records are linked by pointers into a graph where a child may have several parents, not tables joined on values
- •(c) Object-oriented database — stores objects with their attributes and methods, related through object references rather than tables of rows and columns
Key rule: Relational means tables plus relationships through matching key values; hierarchical, network and object databases connect records by pointers or references.
Databases · AI-written, may contain errors
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