Practice IB Computer Science (CS) Topic A.3 Further Aspects of Database Management with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for A.3 Further Aspects of Database Management and mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 style where relevant.
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Define the term tuple.
The table below, COURSE_REGISTRATION, stores information about students and the modules they have joined.
| Student_ID | Course_ID | Registration_Date |
|---|---|---|
| S788 | CS102 | 2023-08-15 |
| S788 | MA105 | 2023-08-15 |
| S902 | CS102 | 2023-08-16 |
Identify the primary key for this table and justify your choice.
Outline the purpose of a Data Manipulation Language (DML).
Identify three reasons for implementing views (virtual tables) in a relational database.
Identify two issues that can occur when a database suffers from an update anomaly.
Define the term referential integrity.
Explain the importance of consistency in a database transaction.
Distinguish between the conceptual schema and the external schema in the database architecture.
Describe how a database management system (DBMS) handles security using access control.
Assume MONS is a proposed cryptocurrency project that uses blockchain technology. You may refer to general properties of blockchain systems (e.g. hashing, distributed ledgers, consensus) in your answer.
Implementing blockchain technology for the MONS cryptocurrency ensures both security and scalability. How far do you agree with this statement?
Option C: Databases
Define the term data redundancy and explain two specific problems it can cause in a poorly managed database system.
A university is implementing a new Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) to replace its aging file-based records system for managing student enrollments and course assignments.
Explain how the following four features of a DBMS help maintain the quality and usability of the university's data:
A national government plans to consolidate separate databases from the departments of health, taxation, and law enforcement into a single, centralized 'Master Citizen Database' to streamline social service delivery.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of creating such a centralized database.
One-to-7 is an international organization that works with teachers and other educators. One department within this organization provides an online forum for teachers to discuss ideas for lessons and to share resources.
In order to access this forum teachers are required to submit the following information, which will be stored in a table in the database.
Figure 1: Online form to register personal details to the One-to-7 forum
Once the submit button on the online form has been selected, the personal data is input into the database.
Once the teacher is registered they can post comments on the forum.
The One-to-7 database is managed by the database administrator (DBA).
Outline why the transaction needs to be atomic in the context of this scenario.
Identify one reason why the teacher’s name has been split into two fields.
Identify two tasks that are carried out by the database administrator (DBA).
Outline one reason why there may be concerns about the amount of personal information that is requested.
The DBA is considering using the email address as the primary key, but is concerned that many of the 250 000 educators who are registering for this online forum may have more than one email address. Users may create duplicate accounts, deliberately or accidentally, by using different email addresses as usernames.
Explain the factors that would need to be considered in using a composite primary key instead of only using the email address.
Explain how transactions are managed to ensure isolation when registered teachers add comments to a discussion thread on the forum.