IPA IP 2024 Question 60
A question IPA Japan published in 令和6年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問60, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
In the diagram that represents the relationship of the elements that make up a relational database, which of the following is the appropriate combination of words to be inserted into A through C in the diagram?
Explanation
A: Table, B: Record, C: Field — a relational database is a set of tables, a table a set of records, and a record a set of fields.
Read the diagram from left to right, each part enlarging the bold element of the one before:
- •The cylinder is the relational database, and the rectangles in it are its tables: A
- •The bold table is drawn with its column headings Item 1, Item 2, Item 3; each row of it is a record, so the table is a collection of records: B
- •The bold row is drawn as a record, and each of its cells, one per item, is a field: C
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — swaps B and C: the rows the brace beside the table groups are records, and the cells of one row are fields
- •(c) — puts fields at the top level and tables in the middle; a database holds tables, not fields
- •(d) — calls the elements of the database records and makes a record a collection of tables, reversing the nesting
Key rule: Database ⊃ table ⊃ record (row) ⊃ field (column value); in relational terms a table is a relation, a record a tuple, a field an attribute.
Databases · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.