Noorul Islam University 2008 M.Sc Software Engineering XCS 235 – DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - Question Paper

of the database, which are data types, relationships and constraints that should
hold on the data.
b) Data Independence
c) High level or conceptual data model
d) Low level or physical data model
e) Representational or implementational data model.
3. Write about Entity types, Entity sets, Attributes, and keys.
a) Entities and attributes
Entity represent a real world object
Attribute represent property that defines an entity.
Relationship represents an interaction among the entities.
b) Entity types, Entity sets, Keys, and Value sets
c) Simple versus composite
d) Single valued versus multi-valued
e) Stored versus derived
4. discuss the constraints and characteristics of generalization and specialization.
a) constraints on specialization/generalization
b) specialization/generalization hierarchies and lattices
Specialization is the process of defining a set of subclasses of an entity
type. This entity kind is called the superclass of the specialization.
c) utilizing specialization and generalization in conceptual data modeling.
5. discuss about secondary storage devices
a) Hardware description of disk devices
every concentric circle in a disk surface is called a track.
The hardware address of a block is the combination of a surface number, track
number and block number.
To transfer a disk block, provided its address, the disk controller must 1st position
the learn write head on the accurate track. The time needed to do this is called
seek time.
b) Magnetic tape storage devices
6. discuss the concept of parallelizing disk access using RAID technology.
a) Improving reliability with RAID
Data striping distributes the data transparently over multiple disks to
make them appear as a single large fast disk.
b) Improving performance with RAID
Data is written redundantly to 2 identical physical disks that are treated
as 1 logical disk. When data is learn it can be retrieved from the disk, with short
queuing, seek time and rotational delay.
c) RAID organization and levels
7. Write about different operations that can be performed on files.
a) Open
b) Reset
c) Find(or Locate)
d) Read(or Get)
e) FindNext
f) Delete
g) replace
h) Insert
i) Close
j) Scan
k) FindAll
l) FindOrdered
m) Reorganize
8. Explain: Hashing Techniques
It provides a function h called the hash function that is applied to the hash field
value of a record and yields the address of the disk block in which the record is
stored.
a) Internal hashing
b) External hashing for disk files
It involves applying an arithmetic function such as addition or logical function
such as exclusive or to various portions of the hash field value to compute the
hash address.
c) Hashing techniques that allow dynamic file expansion
A collision occurs when a hash field value of a record that is being inserted
hashes to an address that already contains a various record.
9. discuss the various kinds of single-level ordered indexes
a) Primary indexes
Ordering fields based on primary key.
b) Clustering indexes
Ordering fields based on secondary key.
c) Secondary indexes
Non-ordering file
10. discuss the basic relational algebra operations.
a) The choose operation
b) The PROJECT operation
c) Sequences of operations and the RENAME operation
d) Set Theoretic operation
e) The JOIN operation
f) The DIVISION operation
11. Write about Structured Query Language(SQL) commands.
a) The CREATE table command
b) The DROP TABLE commands
c) The ALTER TABLE command
d) The SELECT-FROM-WHERE structure of SQL queries.
e) Nested queries
f) The EXISTS and UNIQUE functions in SQL.
g) Aggregate functions and grouping
h) Insert, Delete, and Update statements in SQL.
i) Views(Virtual Tables) in SQL.
12. Explain: The Tuple Relational Calculus
a) Tuple variables and Range Relations
b) Expressions and Formulas in Tuple relational calculus.
c) The Existential and Universal Quantifiers
d) Safe Expressions
e) Quantifiers in SQL.
13. Explain: Functional Dependency
a) Definition of Functional Dependency
b) Inference Rules for Functional Dependencies
c) Equivalence of sets of functional dependencies
d) Minimal sets of Functional Dependencies
14. discuss the process of Normalization
a) 1st Normal form(1NF)
b) 2nd Normal Form(2NF)
c) 3rd Normal Form(3NF)
d) Boyce-Codd Normal Form(BCNF)
e) 4th Normal Form(4NF)
f) 5th Normal Form(5NF)
15. discuss the process of database tuning
a) Tuning Indexes
The indexes can be rebuild to improve performance and to decrease
response time.
b) Tuning the Database Design
The queries are altered and replaced in a way to improve performance.
c) Tuning Queries
16. discuss the basic algorithms for executing query operations
a) External Sorting
b) Implementing the choose operation
c) Implementing the JOIN operation
d) Implementing PROJECT and Set operations
e) Implementing Aggregate operations
f) implementing Outer Join
17. Explain: Serializability of Schedules
a) Serial, Nonserial, and Conflict-Serializable Schedules
b) Testing for conflict Serializability of a Schedule
c) Uses of Serializability
d) View Equivalence and View Serializability
18. Explain: Locking techniques for Concurrency Control
a) kinds of Locks and System Lock Tables
b) Guaranteeing Serializability by Two-Phase Locking
A schedule S is serial if, for every transaction T participating in the
schedule all the operations of T is executed consecutively in the schedule
otherwise it is non serial
c) Dealing with Deadlock and Starvation
19. discuss the process of concurrency control based on timestamp ordering.
a) Timestamps
A timestamp is a unique identifier created by the DBMS to identify a
transaction.
b) The Timestamp ordering algorithm
The values current in the timestamp algorithm are learn TS(x) and write
Ts(x).
Algorithm for timestamp ordering.
20. Explain: Database security and Authorization.
a) kinds of security
b) Database Security and the DBA.
c) Access protection, User accounts, and Database Audits.
d) kinds of Discretionary Privileges
e) Specifying privileges using Views
f) Revoking Privileges
g) Propagation of privileges using the GRANT OPTION

Earning:   Approval pending.