3 Fundamentals of Database Module

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3. Fundamentals of Database module
fundamental Database (Hawassa University)
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Wolaita Sodo University

School of Informatics
Department of Information Systems
Course Title: Fundamentals of Database Systems
Prepared and Compiled by: Desalegn S.
Reviewed By:- Admasu Desalegn
April, 2023
Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia

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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Fundamental concept of Database system ............................................................................................ 1
1.1. What is database? .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.1. Evolution of a Database System ........................................................................................... 4
1.1.2. Landmarks in Database System History ............................................................................... 5
1.1.3. Database System Requirements ............................................................................................ 5
1.1.4. Database System Architecture .............................................................................................. 6
1.2. Database Versus File system......................................................................................................... 9
1.3. What is database management system(DBMS) ............................................................................ 9
1.4. The evolution of database management systems ........................................................................ 10
1.5. Typical roles and career path for database professionals ............................................................ 13
1.6. Database Languages .................................................................................................................... 17
CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................................ 21
2. Relational Data Model ........................................................................................................................ 21
2.1. Introduction to information models and data models ................................................................. 31
2.2. Types of Data models ................................................................................................................. 32
2.2.1. Hierarchical model .............................................................................................................. 32
2.2.2. Network model .................................................................................................................... 33
2.2.3. Relational data model.......................................................................................................... 33
2.2.4. Entity Relation model ......................................................................................................... 43
2.2.5. Object-Data model .............................................................................................................. 45
2.3. Difference between Hierarchical and Relational Data Model: ................................................... 45
2.4. Difference between Network and Relational Data Model : ........................................................ 46
2.5. Relational database management system (RDBMS) .................................................................. 48
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................................... 54
3. Conceptual Database Design and E-R Modeling ................................................................................ 54
3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 54
3.2. Conceptual Database Design ...................................................................................................... 55
3.2.1. Steps to Build Conceptual Data Model ............................................................................... 55
3.2.2. Symbols Used in ER Diagram ............................................................................................ 56

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3.3. Design ER Diagram .................................................................................................................... 57

3.4. Entity-Relationship Diagram Building Blocks ........................................................................... 58
3.5. Mapping ER Diagram to Relational Tables ................................................................................ 62
3.6. Problem with ER Models ............................................................................................................ 64
3.7. Enhanced Entity Relationship (EER) Models ............................................................................. 69
3.7.1. Features of EER Model ....................................................................................................... 70
CHAPTER FOUR....................................................................................................................................... 74
4. Logical Database Design .................................................................................................................... 74
4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 74
4.2. Logical Database Design for Relational Model .......................................................................... 74
4.3. Normalization ............................................................................................................................. 75
4.4. Pitfalls of Normalization .................................................................................................................. 82
4.5. Denormalization ............................................................................................................................... 83
CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................................................ 84
5. Physical Database Design ................................................................................................................... 84
5.1. What is physical database design process? ................................................................................. 84
5.2. Moving from Logical to Physical Design ................................................................................... 85
5.3. DBMS - Storage System ............................................................................................................. 86
5.4. DBMS - File Structure ................................................................................................................ 87
5.5. File Organization ........................................................................................................................ 87
5.6. DBMS - Indexing ............................................................................................................................. 89
5.7. DBMS - Hashing.............................................................................................................................. 92
CHAPTER SIX ........................................................................................................................................... 96
6. Query Languages .................................................................................................................................... 96
6.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 96
6.2. Query Languages ............................................................................................................................. 97
6.3 Relational Algebra ............................................................................................................................ 98
6.4. Relational calculus ......................................................................................................................... 108
6.5. Introduction to SQL ....................................................................................................................... 111
Reference .................................................................................................................................................. 150
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CHAPTER ONE
1. Fundamental concept of Database system
At the end of this chapter, you will find yourself being able to:
 Define what a file system is
 Define what a database system is
 Discuss the demerits of file based system
 Describe the advantages of database system
 Understand the characteristics of Database System
Know what a DBMS is

Data is one of the most critical assets of any business. It is used and collected practically
everywhere, from businesses trying to determine consumer patterns based on credit card usage,
to space agencies trying to collect data from other planets. Data, as important as it is, needs
robust, secure, and highly available software that can store and process it quickly. The answer to
these requirements is a solid and a reliable database.
Database software usage is pervasive, yet it is taken for granted by the billions of daily users
worldwide. Its presence is everywhere-from retrieving money through an automatic teller
machine to budging access at a secure office location.
Databases and database systems have become an essential component of everyday life in modern
society. In the course of a day, most of us encounter several activities that involve some
interaction with a database. For example, if we go to the bank to deposit or withdraw funds; if we
make a hotel or airline reservation; if we access a computerized library catalog to search for a
bibliographic item; or if we order a magazine subscription from a publisher, chances are that our
activities will involve someone accessing a database. Even purchasing items from a supermarket
nowadays in many cases involves an automatic update of the database that keeps the inventory of
supermarket items.

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The above interactions are examples of what we may call traditional database applications,
where most of the information that is stored and accessed is either textual or numeric. In the past
few years, advances in technology have been leading to exciting new applications of database
systems. Multimedia databases can now store pictures, video clips, and sound messages.
Geographic information systems (GIS) can store and analyze maps, weather data, and satellite
images. Data warehouses and on-line analytical processing (OLAP) systems are used in many
companies to extract and analyze useful information from very large databases for decision
making. Real-time and active database technology is used in controlling industrial and
manufacturing processes. And database search techniques are being applied to the World Wide
Web to improve the search for information that is needed by users browsing through the Internet.
1.1. What is database?
Databases and database technology are having a major impact on the growing use of computers.
It is fair to say that databases play a critical role in almost all areas where computers are used,
including business, engineering, medicine, law, education, and library science, to name a few.
The word database is in such common use that we must begin by defining a database. Our initial
definition is quite general.
Since its advent, databases have been among the most researched knowledge domains in
computer science. A database is a repository of data, designed to support efficient data storage,
retrieval and maintenance. Multiple types of databases exist to suit various industry
requirements. A database may be specialized to store binary files, documents, images, videos,
relational data, multidimensional data, transactional data, analytic data, or geographic data to
name a few.
Data can be stored in various forms, namely tabular, hierarchical and graphical forms. If data is
stored in a tabular form then it is called a relational database. When data is organized in a tree
structure form, it is called a hierarchical database. Data stored as graphs representing
relationships between objects is referred to as a network database.
In its very simplest form, a Database can be viewed as a “repository for data” or “a collection of
data.” The repository is tasked with storing, maintaining and presenting large amounts of data in

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a consistent and efficient fashion to the applications, and the users of such applications.
A database is a collection of related data . By data, we mean known facts that can be recorded
and that have implicit meaning. For example, consider the names, telephone numbers, and
addresses of the people you know. You may have recorded this data in an indexed address book,
or you may have stored it on a diskette, using a personal computer and software such as DBASE
IV or V, Microsoft ACCESS, or EXCEL. This is a collection of related data with an implicit
meaning and hence is a database.
The preceding definition of database is quite general; for example, we may consider the
collection of words that make up this page of text to be related data and hence to constitute a
database. However, the common use of the term database is usually more restricted. A database
has the following implicit properties:
 A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes called the miniworld or
the Universe of Discourse (UoD). Changes to the mini world are reflected in the
database.
 A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent meaning. A
random assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to as a database.
 A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific purpose. It has an
intended group of users and some preconceived applications in which these users are
interested.
In other words, a database has some source from which data are derived, some degree of
interaction with events in the real world, and an audience that is actively interested in the
contents of the database.
A database can be of any size and of varying complexity. For example, the list of names and
addresses referred to earlier may consist of only a few hundred records, each with a simple
structure. On the other hand, the card catalog of a large library may contain half a million cards
stored under different categories—by primary author’s last name, by subject, by book title—with
each category organized in alphabetic order. A database of even greater size and complexity is
maintained by the Internal Revenue Service to keep track of the tax forms filed by U.S.
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taxpayers. If we assume that there are 100 million tax-payers and if each taxpayer files an
average of five forms with approximately 200 characters of information per form, we would get
a database of 100*(106)*200*5 characters (bytes) of information.
If the IRS keeps the past three returns for each taxpayer in addition to the current return, we
would get a database of 4*(1011) bytes (400 gigabytes). This huge amount of information must
be organized and managed so that users can search for, retrieve, and update the data as needed.
A database may be generated and maintained manually or it may be computerized. The library
card catalog is an example of a database that may be created and maintained manually. A
computerized database may be created and maintained either by a group of application programs
written specifically for that task or by a database management system.
1.1.1. Evolution of a Database System
During the past three decades, the database technology for information systems has undergone
four generations of evolution, and we are nearly on the fifth generation database.
- The first generation was file system, such as ISAM and VSAM.
- The second generation was hierarchical database systems, such as IMS and System 2000.
- The third generation was the network model Conference on Data Systems Languages
(CODASYL) database systems, such as IDS, TOTAL, ADABAS, IDMS, etc. The second and
third generation systems realized the sharing of an integrated database among many users within
an application environment.
- The fourth-generation database technology, namely relational database technology arises to
solve the lack of data independence and the tedious navigational access to the database in the
second and third generations. Relational database technology is characterized by the notion of a
declarative query.
- Fifth-generation database technology will be characterized by a richer data model and a richer
set of database facilities necessary to meet the requirements of applications beyond the business
data-processing applications for which the first four generations of database technology have
been developed.

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1.1.2. Landmarks in Database System History
-1950s and early 1960s: Magnetic disc into the usage of data storage. Data reading from tapes
and punched cards for processing were sequential.
- Late 19622s and 1970s: Hard disks come into play in late 1960s and direct data access was
made possible. A paper by Codd [1970] on relation model, querying and relational database
brighten the database system industry.
-1980s: During the 1970s research and development activities in databases were focused on
realizing the relational database technology. These efforts culminated in the introduction of
commercially available systems in late 70s and early 80s, such as Oracle,
SQL/DB and DB2 and INGRES that became competitive to the hierarchical and network
database systems. A number of researches had also been published on distributed and parallel
database system.
-Late 1990s: The WWW and multimedia advancement forces the database system for reliable
and extensive operations. Moreover, the object-oriented programming languages put a strain to a
unified programming and database language. The reason is that an object-oriented programming
language is built on the object-oriented concepts, and object-oriented concepts consist of a
number of data modeling concepts, such as aggregation, generalization, and membership
relationships. An object-oriented database system which supports such a unified object-oriented
programming and database language will be better platform for developing object-oriented
database applications than an extended relational database system which supports an extended
relational database language.
1.1.3. Database System Requirements
Databases evolved to take responsibility for the data away from the application, and most
importantly to enable data to be shared. Hence a database system must provide:
- Consistency: It must ensure that the data itself is not only consistently stored but can be
retrieved and shared efficiently.

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- Concurrency: It must enable multiple users and systems to all retrieve the data at the same
time and to do so logically and consistently.
-Performance: It must support reasonable response times.
- Standard adherence: It should support a standard language for common understanding.
Standard Query Language (SQL) has to be supported. The two categories of the SQL are:
฀ Data Definition Language (DDL): allow users to create new databases and specify their
schema.
฀ Data Manipulation Language (DML): enables users to query and manipulate data
- Security: It should provide away to set access permissions (much like files at the operating
system level) and specific database mechanisms such as triggers.
- Reliability: It must keep the stored data intact. Additionally, it must cope well when things
go awry and it must, if set up properly, be able to recover to a known consistent point.
1.1.4. Database System Architecture
Centralized Database System Architecture
Centralized database systems are those that run on a single computer system and that do not
interact with the other computer system except for displaying information on display terminals.
Such database systems span from single-user database system that run on a single personal
computer to a high-performance database systems that run on a main frame.
Client/Server Architecture for a Database System
In the Client/Server architecture the client processes run separately from the server processes,
usually on a different computer. The architecture enables to specialized servers and workstations
(clients). The general structure of client/server architecture is shown below.

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CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT
FILE MAIL DBMS

SERVER SERVER SERVER
Figure 1.1.4፡ Structure of client/server architecture
Two-Tier Client/Server Architecture is the simplest client/server application. In this

architecture the client processes provide an interface for the user, and gather and present data
usually either on a screen on the user's computer or in a printed report. The server processes
provide an interface with the data storage. The logic that validates data, monitors security and
permissions, and performs other business rules can be fully contained on either the client or the
server, or partly on the client and partly on the server. The exact division of the logic varies from
system to system.
The logic for the application can also be designed to form a separate middle tier. Applications
that are designed with separate middle tier have three logical tiers but still run into two physical
tiers. The middle tier may be contained in either the client or the server. Client/server
applications that are designed to run the user and business tiers of the application on the client
side, and the data tier on the server side are known as fat client applications. On the other hand,
applications that are designed to run the user tier on the client side and the business and data tiers
on the server side are known as thin client applications. Though fat and thin client/server
architectures have three tiers, such applications are intended to run on two computers as two
physical tiers. If the three tiers are separated so that the application can be run on three separate
computers, the implementation is known as a three-tier application.

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Three-Tier Client/Server Architecture is an application that has three modularly separated

tiers that can be run on three machines. The standard model for a three-tier application has User
tier (GUI or Web Interface), Business tier (Application Server or Web Server) and Data tier (Data
Server).
User tier presents the user interface for the application, displays data and collects user input. It
also sends and requests for data to the next tier. It is often known as the presentation tier. The
business tier incorporates the business rules for the application. It receives requests for data from
the user tier, evaluates them against the business rules and passes them on to the data tier. It then
receives data from the data tier and passes back to the user tier. It is also known as the business
logic tier. And finally at the base, the data tier comprises the data storage and a layer that passes
data from the data storage to the business tier and vice versa. It is also known as the data tier.
Components and Functionalities of a Database System

A database system can be partitioned into two modules as storage manager and query
processor.
1. Storage manager: is a program module that provides interface between the low level data
stored in the database and the application programs or queries submitted to the system. The
storage manager translates the various DML statements into low level file system commands (the
conventional operating system commands); this it is responsible for storing, retrieving and
updating data. The main components of the storage manager are:
- Authorization and integrity manager: checks for credentials of the users and tests for the
integrity constraints.
- Transaction Manager: enables to preserve consistency despite system failure and avoid
conflict at the time of concurrent transaction.
- File manager: manages disk storage allocation and data structure for stored data.
- Buffer manger: is responsible for fetching data from disk storage to the main memory.
2. Query Processor: is a module that handles queries as well as requests for modification of the
data and metadata. Some of the components are:
- DDL interpreter (compiler): processes DDL statements for schema definition (meta data)
and records the definitions in the data dictionary.

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- DML compiler: analyze, translates and optimizes DML statements in a high-level query
language into an evaluation plan consisting of low-level instructions codes to the query
evaluation (execution) engine.
- Query evaluation engine: execute low-level instructions generated by the DML compiler.
1.2. Database Versus File system
The traditional file processing system is file-directory structure supported by a conventional

operating system. A file system organization of data lucks a number of major features of a
database system, such as:
 Data redundancy and inconsistency: It is more likely that files and applications in a file
system to be of different format and standards. Moreover, same information may exist in
duplicate.
 Difficulty in accessing data: It does not support convenient and efficient responsive data-
retrieval system for new request in an existing data.
 Data isolation: Related data may be scattered across files.
 Integrity problems: Maintaining constraints across files and applications would be difficult.
 Atomicity problems: In case of all-or-none set of operations it is crucial that, if a failure
occurs the data need to be restored to its consistent state. That is the set of operations must be
performed as a single unified operation.
 Concurrent access anomalies: Supervision of application is difficult to provide because data
may be accessed by any of the programs that are not coordinated.
 Security problems: Adding application programs to the system in ad hoc fashion makes the
system more vulnerable to security treats and attacks.
1.3. What is database management system(DBMS)
While a database is a repository of data, a database management system, or simply DBMS, is a

set of software tools that control access, organize, store, manage, retrieve and maintain data in a
database. In practical use, the terms database, database server, database system, data server, and
database management systems are often used interchangeably.
Why do we need database software or a DBMS? Can we not just store data in simple text files

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for example? The answer lies in the way users access the data and the handle of corresponding
challenges. First, we need the ability to have multiple users insert, update and delete data to the
same data file without "stepping on each other's toes". This means that different users will not
cause the data to become inconsistent, and no data should be inadvertently lost through these
operations. We also need to have a standard interface for data access, tools for data backup, data
restore and recovery, and a way to handle other challenges such as the capability to work with
huge volumes of data and users. Database software has been designed to handle all of these
challenges.
The most mature database systems in production are relational database management systems
(RDBMS’s). RDBMS's serve as the backbone of applications in many industries including
banking, transportation, health, and so on. The advent of Web-based interfaces
has only increased the volume and breadth of use of RDBMS, which serve as the data
repositories behind essentially most online commerce.
In general Database Management System (DBMS) is then a tool for creating and managing this
large amounts of data efficiently and allowing it to persist for a long periods of time. Hence
DBMS is a general-purpose software that facilities the processes of defining, constructing,
manipulating, and sharing database.
Defining: involves specifying data types, structure and constraints.
Constructing: is the process of storing the data into a storage media.
Manipulating: is retrieving and updating data from and into the storage.
Sharing: allows multiple users to access data.
1.4. The evolution of database management systems
In the 1960s, network and hierarchical systems such as CODASYL and IMSTM were the state-
of-the-art technology for automated banking, accounting, and order processing systems enabled
by the introduction of commercial mainframe computers. While these systems provided a good
basis for the early systems, their basic architecture mixed the physical manipulation of data with
its logical manipulation.
A revolutionary paper by E.F. Codd, an IBM San Jose Research Laboratory employee in 1970,
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changed all that. The paper titled “A relational model of data for large shared data banks
introduced the notion of data independence, which separated the physical representation of data
from the logical representation presented to applications. Data could be moved from one part of
the disk to another or stored in a different format without causing applications to be rewritten.
Application developers were freed from the tedious physical details of data manipulation, and
could focus instead on the logical manipulation of data in the context of their specific
application.
Figure 1.4 illustrates the evolution of database management systems
The above figure describes the evolution of database management systems with the relational
model that provide for data independence. IBM's System R was the first system to implement
Codd's ideas. System R was the basis for SQL/DS, which later became DB2. It also has the merit
to introduce SQL, a relational database language used as a standard.
Today, relational database management systems are the most used DBMS's and are developed by
several software companies. IBM is one of the leaders in the market with DB2 database server.
Other relational DBMS's include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, INGRES, PostgreSQL,
MySQL, and dBASE.
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As relational databases became increasingly popular, the need to deliver high performance
queries has arisen. DB2's optimizer is one of the most sophisticated components of the product.
From a user's perspective, you treat DB2's optimizer as a black box, and pass any SQL query to
it. The DB2's optimizer will then calculate the fastest way to retrieve your data by taking into
account many factors such as the speed of your CPU and disks, the amount of data available, the
location of the data, the type of data, the existence of indexes, and so on. DB2's optimizer is cost-
based.
As increased amounts of data were collected and stored in databases, DBMS's scaled. In DB2 for
Linux, UNIX and Windows, for example, a feature called Database Partitioning Feature (DPF)
allows a database to be spread across many machines using a shared-nothing architecture. Each
machine added brings its own CPUs and disks; therefore, it is easier to scale almost linearly. A
query in this environment is parallelized so that each machine retrieves portions of the overall
result.
Next in the evolution of DBMS's is the concept of extensibility. The Structured Query Language
(SQL) invented by IBM in the early 1970's has been constantly improved through the years.
Even though it is a very powerful language, users are also empowered to develop their own code
that can extend SQL. For example, in DB2 you can create user- defined functions, and stored
procedures, which allow you to extend the SQL language with your own logic.
Then DBMS's started tackling the problem of handling different types of data and from different
sources. At one point, the DB2 data server was renamed to include the term "Universal" as in
"DB2 universal database" (DB2 UDB). Though this term was later dropped for simplicity
reasons, it did highlight the ability that DB2 data servers can store all kinds of information
including video, audio, binary data, and so on. Moreover, through the concept of federation a
query could be used in DB2 to access data from other IBM products, and even non-IBM
products.
Lastly, in the figure the next evolutionary step highlights integration. Today many businesses
need to exchange information, and the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is the underlying
technology that is used for this purpose. XML is an extensible, self- describing language. Its
usage has been growing exponentially because of Web 2.0, and service-oriented architecture
(SOA). IBM recognized early the importance of XML;
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Therefore, it developed a technology called pureXML that is available with DB2 database
servers. Through this technology, XML documents can now be stored in a DB2 database in
hierarchical format (which is the format of XML). In addition, the DB2 engine was extended to
natively handle XQuery, which is the language used to navigate XML documents. With
pureXML, DB2 offers the best performance to handle XML, and at the same time provides the
security, robustness and scalability it has delivered for relational data through the years.
The current "hot" topic at the time of writing is Cloud Computing. DB2 is well positioned to
work on the Cloud. In fact, there are already DB2 images available on the Amazon EC2 cloud,
and on the IBM Smart Business Development and Test on the IBM Cloud (also known as IBM
Development and Test Cloud). DB2's Database Partitioning Feature previously described fits
perfectly in the cloud where you can request standard nodes or servers on demand, and add them
to your cluster. Data rebalancing is automatically performed by DB2 on the go. This can be very
useful during the time when more power needs to be given to the database server to handle end
of-the-month or end-of-the-year transactions.
1.5. Typical roles and career path for database professionals
As people are one of the components in DBMS environment, there are group of roles played by
different stakeholders of the designing and operation of a database system.
I. Database Designer
Database designers are responsible for identifying the data to be stored in the database and for
choosing appropriate structures to represent and store this data. These tasks are mostly
undertaken before the database is actually implemented and populated with data. It is the
responsibility of database designers to communicate with all prospective database users in order
to understand their requirements and to create a design that meets these requirements. In many
cases, the designers are on the staff of the DBA and may be assigned other staff responsibilities
after the database design is completed.
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Database designers typically interact with each potential group of users and develop views of the
database that meet the data and processing requirements of these groups. Each view is then
analyzed and integrated with the views of other user groups. The final database design must be
capable of supporting the requirements of all user groups.
In large database design projects, we can distinguish between two types of

designer: logical database designers and physical database designers. The logical database
designer is concerned with identifying the data (that is, the entities and attributes), the
relationships between the data, and the constraints on the data that is to be stored in the database.
The logical database designer must have a thorough and complete understanding of the
organization‘s data and any constraints on this data (the constraints are sometimes
called business rules). These constraints describe the main characteristics of the data as viewed
by the organization. Examples of constraints for DreamHome are:
 a member of staff cannot manage more than 100 properties for rent or sale at the same time;
 a member of staff cannot handle the sale or rent of his or her own property;
 a solicitor cannot act for both the buyer and seller of a property.
To be effective, the logical database designer must involve all prospective database users in the
development of the data model, and this involvement should begin as early in the process as
possible. In this book, we split the work of the logical database designer into two stages:
 Conceptual database design, which is independent of implementation details, such as the target DBMS,
application programs, programming languages, or any other physical considerations;
 Logical database design, which targets a specific data model, such as relational, network, hierarchical, or
object-oriented.
The physical database designer decides how the logical database design is to be physically
realized. This involves:
 Mapping the logical database design into a set of tables and integrity constraints;
 Selecting specific storage structures and access methods for the data to achieve good performance;
 Designing any security measures required on the data.
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Many parts of physical database design are highly dependent on the target DBMS, and there may
be more than one way of implementing a mechanism. Consequently, the physical database
designer must be fully aware of the functionality of the target DBMS and must understand the
advantages and disadvantages of each alternative implementation. The physical database
designer must be capable of selecting a suitable storage strategy that takes account of usage.
Whereas conceptual and logical database designs are concerned with the what, physical database
design is concerned with the how. It requires different skills, which are often found in different
people.
II. Database Administrator
 Responsible to oversee, control and manage the database resources (the database itself, the DBMS and
other related software)
 Authorizing access to the database
 Coordinating and monitoring the use of the database
 Responsible for determining and acquiring hardware and software resources
 Accountable for problems like poor security, poor performance of the system
 Involves in all steps of database development
 We can have further classifications of this role in big organizations having huge amount of data and user
requirement.
o Data Administrator (DA): is responsible on management of data resources. This involves in database
planning, development, maintenance of standards policies and procedures at the conceptual and logical
design phases.
o Database Administrator (DBA): This is more technically oriented role. DBA is responsible for the
physical realization of the database. It is involved in physical design, implementation, security and
integrity control of the database.
In any organization where many people use the same resources, there is a need for a chief
administrator to oversee and manage these resources. In a database environment, the primary
resource is the database itself, and the secondary resource is the DBMS and related software.
Administering these resources is the responsibility of the database administrator (DBA). The
DBA is responsible for authorizing access to the database, coordinating and monitoring its use,
and acquiring software and hardware resources as needed. The DBA is accountable for problems
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such as security breaches and poor system response time. In large organizations, the DBA is
assisted by a staff that carries out these functions.
III. Application Developers
Once the database has been implemented, the application programs that provide the required
functionality for the end-users must be implemented. This is the responsibility of the application
developers. Typically, the application developers work from a specification produced by systems
analysts. Each program contains statements that request the DBMS to perform some operation on
the database, which includes retrieving data, inserting, updating, and deleting data. The programs
may be written in a third-generation or fourth-generation programming language, as discussed
previously.
IV. End-Users
End users are the people whose jobs require access to the database for querying, updating, and
generating reports; the database primarily exists for their use. There are several categories of end
users:
 Casual end users occasionally access the database, but they may need different information each time.
They use a sophisticated database query interface to specify their requests and are typically middle- or
high-level managers or other occasional browsers.
 Naive or parametric end users make up a sizable portion of database end users. Their main job function
revolves around constantly querying and updating the database, using standard types of queries and
updates— called canned transactions—that have been carefully programmed and tested. Many of these
tasks are now available as mobile apps for use with mobile devices. The tasks that such users perform are
varied. A few examples are:
o Bank customers and tellers check account balances and post withdrawals and deposits.
o Reservation agents or customers for airlines, hotels, and car rental companies check availability for a
given request and make reservations.
o Employees at receiving stations for shipping companies enter package identifications via bar codes and
descriptive information through buttons to update a central database of received and in-transit packages.
o Social media users post and read items on social media Web sites.
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 Sophisticated end users include engineers, scientists, business analysts, and others who thoroughly
familiarize themselves with the facilities of the DBMS in order to implement their own applications to
meet their complex requirements.
 Standalone users maintain personal databases by using ready-made program packages that provide easy-
to-use menu-based or graphics-based interfaces. An example is the user of a financial software package
that stores a variety of personal financial data.
A typical DBMS provides multiple facilities to access a database. Naive end users need to learn
very little about the facilities provided by the DBMS; they simply have to understand the user
interfaces of the mobile apps or standard transactions designed and implemented for their use.
Casual users learn only a few facilities that they may use repeatedly. Sophisticated users try to
learn most of the DBMS facilities in order to achieve their complex requirements.
1.6. Database Languages
A database language consists of four parts: a Data Definition Language (DDL), Data
Manipulation Language (DML), Transaction control language (TCL) and Data control
language (DCL). The DDL is used to specify the database schema and the DML is used to both
read and update the database. These languages are called data sublanguages because they do not
include constructs for all computing needs such as conditional or iterative statements, which are
provided by the high-level programming languages. Many DBMSs have a facility for embedding
the sublanguage in a high-level programming language such as COBOL, FORTRAN, Pascal,
Ada, and ‗C‘, C++, Java, or Visual Basic. In this case, the high-level language is sometimes
referred to as the host language. To compile the embedded file, the commands in the data
sublanguage are first removed from the hostlanguage program and replaced by function calls.
The pre-processed file is then compiled, placed in an object module, linked with a DBMS-
specific library containing the replaced functions, and executed when required. Most data
sublanguages also provide non-embedded, or interactive, commands that can be input directly
from a terminal.
A. The Data Definition Language (DDL)
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It is a language that allows the DBA or user to describe and name the entities, attributes, and
relationships required for the application, together with any associated integrity and security
constraints.
The database schema is specified by a set of definitions expressed by means of a special

language called a Data Definition Language. The DDL is used to define a schema or to modify
an existing one. It cannot be used to manipulate data.
The result of the compilation of the DDL statements is a set of tables stored in special files
collectively called the system catalog. The system catalog integrates the metadata that is data that
describes objects in the database and makes it easier for those objects to be accessed or
manipulated. The metadata contains definitions of records, data items, and other objects that are
of interest to users or are required by the DBMS. The DBMS normally consults the system
catalog before the actual data is accessed in the database. The terms data dictionary and data
directory are also used to describe the system catalog, although the term ‗data dictionary‘
usually refers to a more general software system than a catalog for a DBMS. Which defines the
database structure or schema. Specifies additional properties or constraints of the data. The
database system is checks these constraints every time the database is updated.
Example: CREATE: create object in database
ALTER: alter the structure of database
DROP: deletes object from database
RENAME: rename the object
 The Data Manipulation Language (DML)
It is a language that provides a set of operations to support the basic data manipulation operations
on the data held in the databases. Data manipulation operations usually include the following:
 insertion of new data into the database;

o modification of data stored in the database;
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o retrieval of data contained in the database; ü Deletion of data from the database.
Therefore, one of the main functions of the DBMS is to support a data manipulation language in
which the user can construct statements that will cause such data manipulation to occur. Data
manipulation applies to the external, conceptual, and internal levels. However, at the internal
level we must define rather complex low-level procedures that allow efficient data access. In
contrast, at higher levels, emphasis is placed on ease of use and effort is directed at providing
efficient user interaction with the system.
 Transaction Control language(TCL)
It used to manage transaction in database and the change made by data manipulation language
statements.
Transaction: the logical unit of work which consists of some operations to control some tasks.
Example: COMMITE: used to permanently save any transaction into the database.
ROLLBACK: restore the database to last committee state.
 Data Control Language (DCL)
It used to control access to data stored in database (Authorization)
Example: GRANT: allows specified users to perform specified tasks
REVOKE: cancel pervious granted or denied permission
The part of a DML that involves data retrieval is called a query language. A query language can
be defined as a high-level special-purpose language used to satisfy diverse requests for the
retrieval of data held in the database. The term ‗query‘ is therefore reserved to denote a retrieval
statement expressed in a query language or specifies data to retrieve rather than how to retrieve
it.
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CHAPTER TWO
2. Relational Data Model

Relational Data Model is an implementation (representational) model proposed by E.F. Codd in
1970. The model is an approach in a database design towards the Relational Database
Management System (RDBMS).
2.1 Structure of Relational Database

The main construct for representing data in the relational database is a two-dimensional table
called a relation.
Example
- “EMPLOYEES” relation
EMPID NAME BDATE SUBSITY KEBELE PHONE
E001 Alemu Girma 1/10/70 Bole 06 011-663-0712
E004 Kelem Belete 12/04/68 Gulele 03 011-227-2525
Table 2.1. Typical Employee relation instance
The columns in the table are representing the attributes of the relationship, and the rows (other
than the heading row) represent tuples (records) of the relation.
A relation in a relational model consists of:
฀ The Relation schema: - that describes the column heads for the table and
฀ The Relation instance: - that is the table with the set of tuples.
The set of relation schema forms schema for the relational database called database schema
(relational database schema).
In relational model the relation schema are described first. And the schema specifies
- The relation's name
- Name for each attribute (field or column)
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- Domain of each attribute: - A domain is rereferred to in a relation schema by the domain
name and has a set of associated values.
Example
- Employees (EmpId:sting, Name:string, BDate:date, SubCity:string, Kebel:integer,

Phone:string)
- Projects (PrjId:integer, Name:string, SDate:date, DDate:date, CDate:date)
- Teams (Name:string, Descr:string)
Properties of Relations
Rows (tuples) in a single relation are unique (that is; no two tuples are identical).
฀ Relations are set of tuples not lists (that is; order of tuples in a relation is immaterial).
฀ Attributes are atomic.
฀ The values that appear in a column must be drawn from the domain associated with that
column.
฀ The degree, also called arity, of a relation is the number of attributes in the relation.
฀ The relation names in a relational database are distinct.
Key Constraints
A key constraint is a statement that a certain minimal subset of the attributes of a relation is a
unique identifier for a tuple in the relation.
A set of attributes that uniquely identifies a tuple according to a key constraint is called a
candidate key for the relation; often abbreviated just as key.
Key attributes in relational model are indicated by underlying the attributes in the relational.
Example
- Employees (EmpId, Name, BDate, SubCity, Kebel, Phone)
- Projects (PrjId, Name, SDate, DDate, CDate)
- Teams (Name, Descr)
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REMARK: Note that a key for a relation may not be directly inferred from the high-level
conceptual models in some cases.
Foreign Key Constraints

The most common integrity constraint involving two relations is a foreign key constraint. It
keeps data consistency when a data modification is done on a relation.
The foreign key in the referencing relation requires a match to a primary key in the referenced
relation. That is, there must be a compatible data type attribute in the referenced relation so as
the referencing relation may make the referencing.
Example
- Employees (EmpId, Name, BDate, SubCity, Kebel, Phone)
- WorkSchedule (SDate, EDate, HoursPerDay, Employee,)
In the above example for the “WorkSchedule” to refer to the “Employees” relation instance, it
has an attribute ‘Employee’ of the same type as the ‘EmpId’ in the “Employees” relation which
is a primary key. The foreign key constraint is implemented through the ‘Employee’ attribute in
the referencing relation “WorkSchedule”.
Work Employee
schedule
EMPID NAME Employee
Hour Employee
E001 8 ALEM GIRMA
8 E001
E004 6 ABEBE KEBEDE
6 E004
E002 8 ABEBA ZERU
8 E002
4 E004
(a) Referencing relation (b) Referenced relation
Fig 2.1 Foreign Constraint in Relational Model
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NOTE: - A single tuple can be referenced by zero or more tuples in the referencing relation, but
a single tuple with a single foreign key attribute can only reference one tuple.
- A foreign key could refer to the same relation.
- A relational database consists of related relations through a foreign key.
The second phase in database design is implementation design that transforms the conceptual
data model into an internal model - schema such as a relational data model for an implementation
into relational database management system (RDBMS).
E/R diagram’s entity sets and relationship are ways of describing a relational schema and the
sets of entities and relationship sets form the relational instance of the E/R schema which is not
part of the database design.
Entity Sets to Relations
Strong entity sets in E/R model are mapped to relations in relational model with the same name
and attributes. The primary keys assigned for the entity sets are also represented as keys in the
relations.
Handling Weak Entity Sets
Suppose W is a weak entity set with attribute set {a1, a2, a3, … an} and identifying strong entity
set E. And let the primary key of E is the set {b1, b2, … bm}, then the attributes of the relation
for the weak entity set must include attributes for its complete key (including those belonging to
the identifying strong entity set) and its own, non-key attributes. That is, the set of attributes of
the mapping relation is {a1, a2, a3, … an} U {b1, b2, … bm}.
The primary key for the weak entity set relation thus include:
฀ The discriminator of the weak entity set, and
฀ The primary key of the identifying strong entity set.
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Handling Composite and Multivalued Attributes
฀ Composite attributes from E/R model to a relational model can be represented by
creating separate attributes for each of the components of the attributes (Note that the
composite attribute is not mapped directly into a separate attribute).
฀ Multivalued attributes are handled by creating relations with the name of the attribute
having attributes that corresponds to the components of the multivalued attribute and
the primary key of the entity set or relationship set of which the attribute belongs. The
primary key for the newly created relation consists of:
- The primary key of the entity set or relationship set, and
- The attribute or set of attributes from the multivalued attribute.
REMARK
Note that; if the multivalued attribute has a fixed size of multiplicity (small size), it can be
represented by separate attributes for each multiplicity. For example consider phone
attribute above.
Relationship Sets to Relations
Suppose entity set E with a primary key {a11, a12, a13, … a1n} is related to an entity set F with
a primary key {a21, a22, a23, … a2m} through a relationship R. Let the relationship R has a
descriptive attribute set {b1, b2, b3, … bp}, then the relationship is represented by a relation
whose attributes are:
฀ The keys of the connected entity sets: {a11, a12, a13, … a1n} U {a21, a22, a23, … a2m}, and
฀ Attributes of the relationship itself: {b1, b2, b3, … bp}.
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The union of the primary keys of the related entity sets forms super key for the relationship
relation. If the relationship is many-to-many the super key also becomes a primary key for the
relation, otherwise the primary key from the many said becomes the primary key for the relation.
Suppose entity set E and F are related through a many-to-one relationship R from E to F, then it
is possible to join the relations for E and R that come out of this E/R model into a single relation
S with a schema consisting of:
฀ All attributes of the entity set E,
฀ The keys attributes of the entity set F, and
฀ All Attributes of the relationship R.
If the participation of E into R is total it is also possible to include all attributes of F in the
relation S and have one single relation S in place of the three relations E, F and R.
The primary key for S would the primary key of E.
Representation of Generalization and Specialization
Hierarchical structure (Specialization and Generalization or Inheritance) in relation model can be
represented in three different ways:
1. E/R Style: One relation for each lower-level entity set and the higher-level entity set.
Every relation of the lower-level entity set will include:
฀ Key attribute(s) of the higher-level entity set which forms the primary key of the
entity set, and
฀ Attributes of that lower-level entity set.
For total and disjoint generalization the higher-level entity set may not be mapped into a
relation instead all its attributes are passed to all immediate lower-level entity sets realtions.
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2. Use of Nulls: One relation having a large set of attributes of all the lower-level entity
sets and higher-level entity set; entities have NULL in attributes that don’t belong to
them. Involves large number of NULL values for disjoint generalization.
3. Object-Oriented Approach: One relation per subset of subclasses, with all relevant
attributes including:
฀ Attributes of the higher-level entity set, and
฀ Attributes of that lower-level entity set.
The primary key of the higher-level entity set becomes the primary key of each relation.
Dependencies
In a database design the two most common pitfalls that result in bad designing are:
฀ Repetition of information, and
฀ Inability to present certain information (Loss of information).
฀ Functional Dependencies
Functional dependency is a kind of constraint that helps to remove redundancy in relational
database design.
Definition: Functional dependency denoted by X → A is an assertion about a relation R that
whenever two tuples of R agree on all the attributes of X, then they must also agree
on the attribute A. We say that “X → A holds in R” or “X functional determines A”
Note that in the notation X → A; X represent sets of attributes and A represent single
attribute. That is A1 A2 A3…An → B
The functional dependency is a generalization of the notion of super key.
Example:
- Consider the Teams relation: Teams(PrjId, Name, Descr), then
PrjId, Name → Descr
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- For the Employees relation:
Employees(EmpId, NationalId, Name, BDate, Age, Gender, City, HAddr, Phone)
EmpId → Name; EmpId → Age; Name BDate → Gender
A functional dependency A1 A2 A3…An → B is said to be trivial dependency if B is an element

or of {A1, A2, A3…An}.
Rules of Functional Dependency
Combining Rule:
The functional dependencies:
A1 A2 A3…An → B1
A1 A2 A3…An → B2
A1 A2 A3…An → Bm
can be written as:
A1 A2 A3…An → B1 B2 … Bm
Splitting Rule
The functional dependency A1 A2 A3…An → B1 B2 … Bm can be written as A1 A2 A3…An → Bi for
i=1, 2, 3, .. m
Closure of Attributes
Suppose {A1, A2, …An} is a set of attributes and S is a set of functional dependencies in
relation R. The closure of the set {A1, A2, …An} under the functional dependency set S is the
set of attributes B that are functionally determined from the set S. That is; A1 A2 …An → B
follows from the set S. The closure set of attributes A1, A2, …An is denoted by {A1, A2,
…An}.
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The closure set of attributes can be determined by repeatedly applying the following three rules
known as Armstrong’s Axioms:
Reflexivity Rule
If α is set of attributes and β C α then, α → β holds.
Augmentation Rule
If α → β holds and γ is set of attributes, then γα → γβ holds.
Transitivity Rule
If α → β holds and β → γ holds, then α → γ holds.
Algorithm for computing the closure of X, X+ is given below.
1. Let X be a set of attributes that eventually will become the closure. First, we initialize X
to be X.
2. Now, we repeatedly search for some functional dependency B1 B2 …Bm → C Such that all of
B1, B2...Bm are in the set of attributes X but C is not. We then add C to the set X.
3. Repeat step 2 as many times as necessary until no more attributes can be added to X.
4. The set X, after no more attributes can be added to it, is the closure set X+.
Example: Consider a relation with attributes A, B, C, D, E, and F. Suppose that this relation
has the functional dependencies AB → C, BC → AD, D → E, and CF → B. What is
the closure of {A, B}, that is {A, B}?
Solution:
X = {A, B}
From the function dependency AB → C, we add C to X that is X = {A, B, C}
Similarly; BC → AD → X = {A, B, C, D}
D → E → X = {A, B, C, D, E}
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No more changes in X are possible. Thus {A, B}+ = {A, B, C, D, E}
From the closure set it is to follow that AB → D
Exercise: Test whether D → A flows from the functional dependency set?
To test for D → A, first determine the closure set of {D}
X = {D}
From the function dependency D → E, we add E to X that is X = {D, E}
No more changes in X are possible. Thus {D}+ = {D, E}
From the closure set D → A does not hold.
฀ Multivalued Dependencies
Multivalued dependency for a relation R, is defined as a constraint when the values of one set of
attributes is fixed, then the values in certain other attributes are independent of values of all the
other attributes in R.
That is; for a multivalued dependency X →→ Y in R where X and Y are subsets of the set of
attributes in R, if t and u are tuples in the relational instance r for the schema R, then there exist
a third tuple v that agrees:
1. with both t and u on X’s,
2. with t on Y’s, and
3. with u on all attributes of R that are not among X’s or Y’s (R – (X U Y)).
Rules of Multivalued Dependency
Multivalued dependency is a generalization for the functional dependency. That is;
If α → β holds, then α →→ β also holds.
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All the rules except the splitting rule for the functional dependency are also applicable for a
multivalued dependency.
Complementation Rule
One additional rule in a multivalued dependency that does not have a counterpart in functional
dependency is the complementation rule.
The rule states that if X →→ Y holds then X →→ (R – (X U Y)), where R is a set of attributes
for the relational schema R.
2.1. Introduction to information models and data models
An information model is an abstract, formal representation of entities that includes their

properties, relationships and the operations that can be performed on them. The entities being
modeled may be from the real world, such as devices on a network, or they may themselves be
abstract, such as the entities used in a billing system.
The primary motivation behind the concept is to formalize the description of a problem domain
without constraining how that description will be mapped to an actual implementation in
software. There may be many mappings of the Information Model. Such mappings are called
data models, irrespective of whether they are object models (for example, using unified modeling
language - UML), entity relationship models, or XML schemas.
Modeling is important as it considers the flexibility required for possible future changes without
significantly affecting usage. Modeling allows for compatibility with its predecessor models and
has provisions for future extensions.
Information Models and Data Models are different because they serve different purposes.The
main purpose of an Information Model is to model managed objects at a conceptual level,
independent of any specific implementations or protocols used to transport the data. The degree
of detail of the abstractions defined in the Information Model depends on the modeling needs of
its designers. In order to make the overall design as clear as possible, an Information Model
should hide all protocol and implementation details. Another important characteristic of an
Information Model is that it defines relationships between managed objects.
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Data Models, on the other hand, are defined at a more concrete level and include many details.
They are intended for software developers and include protocol-specific constructs. A data model
is the blueprint of any database system. Figure 1.1 illustrates the relationship between an
Information Model and a Data Model.
Information Model
Conceptual/abstract model
for designers and operators
Data model Data model Data model

Concrete/detailed model
for implementors
2.2. Types of Data models
Data model proposals can be split into the following category in historical epochs:
 Hierarchical data model (IMS): late 1960’s and 1970’s
 Network data model(CODASYL): 1970’s
 Relational data model: 1970’s and early 1980’s
 Object-oriented data model: late 1980’s and early 1990’s
 Object-relational data model: late 1980’s and early 1990’s
The next sections discuss some of these models in more detail
2.2.1. Hierarchical model
The hierarchical data model organizes data in a tree structure. There is a hierarchy of parent and
child data segments. This structure implies that a record can have repeating information,
generally in the child data segments. Data in a series of records will have a set of field values
attached to it. It collects all the instances of a specific record together as a record type. These
record types are the equivalent of tables in the relational model, and with the individual records
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being the equivalent of rows. To create links between these record types, the hierarchical model
uses Parent Child Relationships. In a hierarchical database the parent-child relationship is one to
many. This restricts a child segment to having only one parent segment. Hierarchical DBMSs
were popular from the late 1960s, with the introduction of IBM's Information Management
System (IMS) DBMS, through the 1970s.
2.2.2. Network model
Some data may naturally be modeled with more than one parent per child. So, the network model
permitted the modeling of many-to-many relationships in data. In 1971, the Conference on Data
Systems Languages (CODASYL) formally defined the network model. The basic data modeling
construct in the network model is the set construct. A set consists of an owner record type, a set
name, and a member record type. A member record type can have that role in more than one set,
hence the multi-parent concept is supported. An owner record type can also be a member or
owner in another set. The data model is a simple network, and link and intersection record types
may exist, as well as sets between them.
2.2.3. Relational data model
In the relational model, relations are used to hold information about the objects to be represented
in the database. A relation is represented as a two-dimensional table in which the rows of the
table correspond to individual records and the table columns correspond to attributes. Attributes
can appear in any order and the relation will still be the same relation, and therefore convey the
same meaning. For example, the information on branch offices is represented by
the Branch relation, with columns for attributes branchNo (the branch number), street, city,
and postcode. Similarly, the information on staff is represented by the Staff relation, with
columns for attributes staffNo (the staff number), fName, lName, position, sex, DOB (date of
birth), salary, and branchNo (the number of the branch the staff member works at).
Relation: a table with rows and columns
Attribute: a named column of a relation
Domain: a set of allowable values for one or more attributes

Domains are an extremely powerful feature of the relational model. Every attribute in a relation is defined
on a domain. Domains may be distinct for each attribute, or two or more attributes may be defined on the
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same domain. The domain concept is important because it allows the user to define in a central place the
meaning and source of values that attributes can hold. As a result, more information is available to the
system when it undertakes the execution of a relational operation, and operations that are semantically
incorrect can be avoided. For example, it is not sensible to compare a street name with a telephone
number, even though the domain definitions for both these attributes are character strings. On the other
hand, the monthly rental on a property and the number of months a property has been leased have
different domains (the first a monetary value, the second an integer value), but it is still a legal operation
to multiply two values from these domains.
Tuple: a row of a relation
The elements of a relation are the rows or tuples in the table. In the Branch relation, each row
contains four values, one for each attribute. Tuples can appear in any order and the relation will
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still be the same relation, and therefore convey the same meaning. The structure of a relation,
together with a specification of the domains and any other restrictions on possible values, is
sometimes called its intension, which is usually fixed unless the meaning of a relation is changed
to include additional attributes. The tuples are called the extension (or state) of a relation, which
changes over time.
Degree: the degree of a relation is the number of attributes it contains Unary relation, Binary
relation, Ternary relation, N-ary relation.
The Branch relation in the above Figure has four attributes or degree four. This means that each
row of the table is a four-tuple, containing four values. A relation with only one attribute would
have degree one and be called a unary relation or one-tuple. A relation with two attributes is
called binary, one with three attributes is called ternary, and after that the term nary is usually
used. The degree of a relation is a property of the intension of the relation
Cardinality: of a relation is the number of tuples the relation has By contrast, the number of
tuples is called the cardinality of the relation and this changes as tuples are added or deleted. The
cardinality is a property of the extension of the relation and is determined from the particular
instance of the relation at any given moment. Finally, we have the definition of a relational
database.
Relational Database: a collection of normalized relations with distinct relation names. A

relational database consists of relations that are appropriately structured.
Relation Schema: a named relation defined by a set of attribute-domain name pair Let A1,
A2………..An be attributes with domain D1, D2 ………,Dn.
Then the sets {A1:D1, A2:D2… An:Dn} is a Relation Schema. A relation R, defined by a
relation schema S, is a set of mappings from attribute names to their corresponding domains.
Thus a relation is a set of n- tuples of the form (A1:d1, A2:d2 ,…, An:dn) where d1 є D1, d2 є
D2,…….. dn є Dn,
Example Student (studentId char(10), studentName char(50), DOB date) is a relation schema for
the student entity in SQL
Relational Database schema: a set of relation schema each with distinct names. Suppose
R1, R2,……, Rn is the set of relation schema in a relational database then the relational database
schema (R) can be stated as: R={ R1 , R2 ,……., Rn}.
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Properties of Relational Tables:
 The Sequence of Columns is Insignificant

 The Sequence of Rows is Insignificant
 Each Column Has a Unique Name.
 A relation has a name that is distinct from all other relation names in the relational schema.
 Each tuple in a relation must be unique
 All tables are LOGICAL ENTITIES
 Each cell of a relation contains exactly one atomic (single) value.
 Each column (field or attribute) has a distinct name.
 The values of an attribute are all from the same domain.
 A table is either a BASE TABLES (Named Relations) or VIEWS (Unnamed Relations)
 Only Base Tables are physically stored
 VIEWS are derived from BASE TABLES with SQL statements like: [SELECT .. FROM ..
WHERE .. ORDER BY]
 Relational database is the collection of tableso Each entity in one table o Attributes are fields
(columns) in table
 Order of rows theoretically ( but practically has impact on performance) and columns is
immaterial
 Entries with repeating groups are said to be un-normalized. All values in a column represent the
same attribute and have the same data format.
Building blocks of the relational data model

The building blocks of the relational data model are:
 Entities: real world physical or logical object

 Attributes: properties used to describe each Entity or real world object.
 Relationship: the association between Entities
 Constraints: rules that should be obeyed while manipulating the data.
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The ENTITIES
The Entities are persons, places; things etc. which the organization has to deal with Relations can
also describe relationships
The name given to an entity should always be a singular noun descriptive of each item to be
stored in it.
Example: student NOTstudents.
Every relation has a schema, which describes the columns, or fields the relation itself
corresponds to our familiar notion of a table:
A relation is a collection of tuples, each of which contains values for a fixed number
of attributes
 Existence Dependency: the dependence of an entity on the existence of one or more entities.
 Weak entity : an entity that cannot exist without the entity with which it has a relationship – it is indicated
by a double rectangle
The ATTRIBUTES
The attributes are the items of information which characterize and describe these
entities.Attributes are pieces of information ABOUT entities. The analysis must of course
identify those which are actually relevant to the proposed application. Attributes will give rise to
recorded items of data in the database
At this level we need to know such things as:
 Attribute name (be explanatory words or phrases)

 The domain from which attribute values are taken (A DOMAIN is a set of values from which attribute
values may be tak
 For example, the domain of Name is string and en.) Each attribute has values taken from a domain. that
for salary is real. However these are not shown on E-R models
 Whether the attribute is part of the entity identifier (attributes which just describe an entity and those
which help to identify it uniquely)
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 Whether it is permanent or time-varying (which attributes may change their values over time)
 Whether it is required or optional for the entity (whose values will sometimes be unknown or
irrelevant) Types of Attributes
1. Simple (atomic) Vs Composite attributes
 Simple : contains a single value (not divided into sub parts)

Example: Age, gender
 Composite: Divided into sub parts (composed of other attributes) Example: Name, address
 Single-valued Vs multi-valued attributes
o Single-valued : have only single value(the value may change but has only one value at one time)
Example: Name, Sex, Id. No. color_of_eyes
 Multi-Valued: have more than one value

Example: Address, dependent-name
Person may have several college degrees
 Stored vs. Derived Attribute

o Stored : not possible to derive or compute
Example: Name, Address
 Derived: The value may be derived (computed) from the values of other attributes.
Example: Age (current year – year of birth)
Length of employment (current date- start date) Profit (earning cost) G.P.A (grade point/credit
hours)
 Null Values
o NULL applies to attributes which are not applicable or which do not have values.
o You may enter the value NA (meaning not applicable)  Value of a key attribute cannot be null.
 Default value- assumed value if no explicit value
Entity versus Attributes

When designing the conceptual specification of the database, one should pay attention to the
distinction between an Entity and an Attribute.
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 Consider designing a database of employees for an organization:

 Should address be an attribute of Employees or an entity (connected to Employees by a relationship)?
• If we have several addresses per employee, address must be an entity
(attributes cannot be set-valued/multi valued)
 If the structure (city, Woreda, Kebele, etc) is important, e.g. want to retrieve employees in a given city,
address must be modeled as an entity (attribute values are atomic)
The RELATIONSHIPS
The Relationships between entities which exist and must be taken into account when processing
information. In any business processing one object may be associated with another object due to
some event. Such kind of association is what we call a RELATIONSHIP between entity objects.
 One external event or process may affect several related entities.

 Related entities require setting of LINKS from one part of the database to another.
 A relationship should be named by a word or phrase which explains its function
 Role names are different from the names of entities forming the relationship: one entity may take on
many roles, the same role may be played by different entities
 For each RELATIONSHIP, one can talk about the Number of Entities and the
Number of Tuples participating in the association. These two concepts are

called DEGREE and CARDINALITY of a relationship respectively.
Degree of a Relationship
 An important point about a relationship is how many entities participate in it. The number of entities
participating in a relationship is called the DEGREE of the relationship. Among the Degrees of
relationship, the following are the basic:
 UNARY/RECURSIVE RELATIONSHIP: Tuples/records of a Single entity are related withy each
other.
 BINARY RELATIONSHIPS: Tuples/records of two entities are associated in a relationship
 TERNARY RELATIONSHIP: Tuples/records of three different entities are associated
 And a generalized one:
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o N-ARY RELATIONSHIP: Tuples from arbitrary number of entity sets are participating in a
relationship.
Cardinality of a Relationship
Another important concept about relationship is the number of instances/tuples that can be
associated with a single instance from one entity in a single relationship. The number of
instances participating or associated with a single instance from an entity in a relationship is
called the CARDINALITY of the relationship. The major cardinalities of a relationship are:
 ONE-TO-ONE: one tuple is associated with only one other tuple.

o Example: Building – Location as a single building will be located in a single location and as a single
location will only accommodate a single Building.
 ONE-TO-MANY, one tuple can be associated with many other tuples, but not the reverse.
o Example: Department-Student as one department can have multiple students.
 MANY-TO-ONE, many tuples are associated with one tuple but not the reverse.
o Example: Employee – Department: as many employees belong to a single department.
 MANY-TO-MANY: one tuple is associated with many other tuples and from the other side, with a
different role name one tuple will be associated with many tuples
o Example: Student – Course as a student can take many courses and a single course can be attended by
many students.
However, the degree and cardinality of a relation are different from degree and cardinality of
a relationship
Key constraints
If tuples are need to be unique in the database, and then we need to make each tuple distinct. To
do this we need to have relational keys that uniquely identify each record.
1. Super Key: an attribute/set of attributes that uniquely identify a tuple within a relation.
2. Candidate Key: a super key such that no proper subset of that collection is a Super Key within the
relation.
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A candidate key has two properties:
I. Uniqueness
II. Irreducibility፡- If a super key is having only one attribute, it is automatically a Candidate key.
If a candidate key consists of more than one attribute it is called Composite Key.
3. Primary Key: the candidate key that is selected to identify tuples uniquely within the relation. The entire
set of attributes in a relation can be considered as a primary case in a worst case.
4. Foreign Key: an attribute, or set of attributes, within one relation that matches the candidate key of some
relation. A foreign key is a link between different relations to create a view or an unnamed relation
Integrity, Referential Integrity and Foreign Keys Constraints

The entity integrity constraint states that no primary key value can be NULL. This is because the
primary key value is used to identify individual tuples in a relation. Having NULL values for the
primary key implies that we cannot identify some tuples. For example, if two or more tuples had
NULL for their primary keys, we may not be able to distinguish them if we try to reference them
from other relations. Key constraints and entity integrity constraints are specified on individual
relations.
The referential integrity constraint is specified between two relations and is used to maintain the
consistency among tuples in the two relations. Informally, the referential integrity constraint
states that a tuple in one relation that refers to another relation must refer to an existing tuple in
that relation. For example, the attribute Dept_Num of EMPLOYEE gives the department number
for which each employee works; hence, its value in every EMPLOYEE tuple must match the
Dept_Num value of some tuple in the DEPARTMENT relation.
To define referential integrity more formally, first we define the concept of a foreign key. The
conditions for a foreign key, given below, specify a referential integrity constraint between the
two relation schemas R1 and R2.
A set of attributes FK (foreign key) in relation schema R1 is a foreign key of R1 that references
relation R2 if it satisfies the following rules:
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 Rule 1: The attributes in FK have the same domain(s) as the primary key attributes PK of R2; the
attributes FK are said to reference or refer to the relation R2.
 Rule 2: A value of FK in a tuple t1 of the current state r1(R1) either occurs as a value
of PK for some tuple t2 in the current state r2(R2) or is NULL. In the former case, we
have t1[FK] = t2[PK], and we say that the tuple t1 references or refers to the tuple t2.
 In this definition, R1 is called the referencing relation and R2 is the referenced relation. If these two
conditions hold, a referential integrity constraint from R1 to R2 is said to hold. In a database of many
relations, there are usually many referential integrity constraints.
To specify these constraints, first we must have a clear understanding of the meaning or roles
that each attribute or set of attributes plays in the various relation schemas of the database.
Referential integrity constraints typically arise from the relationships among the entities
represented by the relation schemas.
For example, consider the database In the EMPLOYEErelation, the attribute Dept_Numrefers
to the department for which an employee works; hence, we designate Dept_Num to be a foreign
key of EMPLOYEE referencing the DEPARTMENT relation. This means that a value
of Dept_Num in any tuple t1 of the EMPLOYEE relation must match a value of DEPARTMENT
relation, or the value of Dept_Num can be NULL if the employee does not belong to a
department or will be assigned to a department later. For example, the tuple for employee ‗John
Smith‘ references the tuple for the ‗Research‘ department, indicating that ‗John Smith‘ works
for this department.
Notice that a foreign key can refer to its own relation. For example, the attributeSuper_ssn in
EMPLOYEE refers to the supervisor of an employee; this is another employee, represented by a
tuple in the EMPLOYEE relation. Hence, Super_ssn is a foreign key that references the
EMPLOYEE relation itself. The tuple for employee ‗John Smith‘ references the tuple for
employee ‗Franklin Wong,‘ indicating that ‗Franklin Wong‘ is the supervisor of ‗John Smith‘.
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We can diagrammatically display referential integrity constraints by drawing a directed arc from
each foreign key to the relation it references. For clarity, the arrowhead may point to the primary
key of the referenced relation with the referential integrity constraints displayed in this manner.
All integrity constraints should be specified on the relational database schema (i.e., defined as
part of its definition) if we want to enforce these constraints on the database states. Hence, the
DDL includes provisions for specifying the various types of constraints so that the DBMS can
automatically enforce them. Most relational DBMSs support key, entity integrity, and referential
integrity constraints. These constraints are specified as a part of data definition in the DDL.
The following constraints are specified as a part of data definition using DDL:
 Domain Integrity: No value of the attribute should be beyond the allowable limits
 Entity Integrity: In a base relation, no attribute of a Primary Key can assume a value of NULL
 Referential Integrity: If a Foreign Key exists in a relation, either the Foreign Key value must match a
Candidate Key value in its home relation or the Foreign Key value must be NULL
 Enterprise Integrity: Additional rules specified by the users or database administrators of a database are
incorporated
2.2.4. Entity Relation model
In the mid 1970’s, Peter Chen proposed the entity-relationship (E-R) data model. This was to be
an alternative to the relational, CODASYL, and hierarchical data models. He proposed thinking
of a database as a collection of instances of entities. Entities are objects that have an existence
independent of any other entities in the database. Entities have attributes, which are the data
elements that characterize the entity. One or more of these attributes could be designated to be a
key. Lastly, there could be relationships between entities. Relationships could be 1-to-1, 1-to-n,
n-to-1 or m-to-n, depending on how the entities participated in the relationship. Relationships
could also have attributes that described the relationship. Figure 1.5 provides an example of an
E-R diagram.
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Figure 1.5 - An E-R Diagram for a telephone directory data model

In the figure, entities are represented by rectangles and they are name, address, voice, fax, and
modem. Attributes are listed inside each entity. For example, the voice entity has the vce_num,
rec_num, and vce-type as attributes. PK represents a primary key, and FK a foreign key.
Entity – Relationship (E/R) model is a conceptual model based on a perception of the world
based on the concept of entities, attributes and relationships.
- Entity: represents a real-world object or concept; such as employee and account.
- Attribute: describes an entity in the database; such as name and birth date for employee and
account number and balance for account.
- Relationship: is an association among the entities. For example a customer entity is related to
the account entity in a banking system.
Rather than being used as a model on its own, the E-R model has found success as a tool to
design relational databases. Chen’s papers contained a methodology for constructing an initial E-
R diagram. In addition, it was a simple process to convert an E-R diagram into a collection of
tables in third normal form.
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2.2.5. Object-Data model
The advancement of the Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) tends to evolve a new database
management system namely the Object DBMS (ODBMS). The object data model is a way for
the modeling of a database in ODBMS. It can be regard as high-level implementation data model
that is closer to the conceptual model. It is based on the object oriented concept mainly for
ODBMS implementation but can also be used in the data model of RDBMS implementation.
This combination object-oriented data model with the relational model leads into a data model
known as object-relational data model. The Object-Relational (OR) model is very similar to
the relational model; however, it treats every entity as an object (instance of a class), and a
relationship as an inheritance. Some features and benefits of an Object-Relational model are:
o Support for complex, user defined types
o Object inheritance
o Extensible objects
Object-Relational databases have the capability to store object relationships in relational form.
2.3. Difference between Hierarchical and Relational Data Model:
S. No. Hierarchical Data Model Relational Data Model
It is the most flexible and efficient

In this model, to store data hierarchy method is database model. It is most used
1. used. It is oldest method. database in today.
In addition to 1:1 and 1:n, it also

implements many to many
2. It implements 1:1 and 1:n. relationships.
3. To organize records, it uses a tree structure. To organize records, it uses a table.
4. More chances of complexity. No chance of complexity.
There is a lack of declarative query facility. In

current times they are being modeled using It provides facility of declarative
5. NoSQL. query facility using SQL.
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S. No. Hierarchical Data Model Relational Data Model
Records are linked with help of

6. Records are linked with help of pointers. rows and columns.
Insertion anomaly exits in this model i.e. child

7. node cannot be inserted without parent node. There is no insertion anomaly.
Deletion anomaly exists in this model i.e. it is

8. difficult to delete parent node. There is no deletion anomaly.
It is used to access data which is complex and It is used to access data which is
9. asymmetric. complex and symmetric.
This model provides data

10. This model lacks data independence. independence.
This design is used in modern times for faster Due to many to many to many
access of data. This is obtained by trade offs relationship joins take a heavy toll
i.e. on giving up on redundancy where the on search with multiple parameter
11. levels(parents to child) are relatively less. query.
Complexity leads to difficulty in designing It is not complex as physical level

12. database. details are not visible to user.
It is having an inconsistency problem while The normalization is used to

updating the records due to multiple instances remove the redundancy while
13. of a child record. updating the records.
Currently this model is being used in shopping Most of the traditional software are
carts and search engine. There are tools that can using relational database common
emulate hierarchical database e.g. Mongodb, e.g. Oracle dB, MS sql server, IBM
14. firebase DB2
2.4. Difference between Network and Relational Data Model :
S. No. Network Data Model Relational Data Model
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It organizes records in form of table and

It organizes records to one another relationship between tables are set using
1. through links or pointers. common fields.
It organizes records in form of

2. directed graphs. It organizes records in form of tables.
In this relationship between various

records is represented physically via In this relationship between various records is
3. linked list. represented logically via tables.
There is lack of declarative querying

4. facilities. It provides declarative query facility using SQL.
Complexity increases burden on

programmer for database design as As physical level details are hidden from end
5. well as data manipulation. users so this model is very simple to understand.
Retrieval algorithms are complex but

6. symmetric. Retrieval algorithms are simple and symmetric.
There is partial data independence in

7. this model. This model provides data independence.
There is no inconsistency problem in The updating of records is quite easy because of

updating the records because of the the normalization which is used to remove the
8. single instance of the child records. redundancy in the relations.
Searching for a record is easy in the

network model as there are multiple In the relational model, a unique, indexed key
9. access paths to reach data item. serves the purpose of searching a record.
Here, is the physical existence of It maintains logical organization of records

10. record relations in this model. using rows and columns and stored in relation.
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VAX-DBMS, DMS-1100 of
UNIVAC and SUPRADBMS’s use It is mostly used in real world applications.
11. this model. Oracle, SQL.
2.5. Relational database management system (RDBMS)
A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a collection of programs

and capabilities that enable IT teams and others to create, update, administer and
otherwise interact with a relational database. RDBMSes store data in the form of
tables, with most commercial relational database management systems using
Structured Query Language (SQL) to access the database. However, since SQL
was invented after the initial development of the relational model, it is not
necessary for RDBMS use.
The RDBMS is the most popular database system among organizations across the
world. It provides a dependable method of storing and retrieving large amounts of
data while offering a combination of system performance and ease of
implementation.
RDBMS vs. DBMS

In general, databases store sets of data that can be queried for use in other
applications. A database management system supports the development,
administration and use of database platforms.
An RDBMS is a type of database management system (DBMS) that stores data in
a row-based table structure which connects related data elements. An RDBMS
includes functions that maintain the security, accuracy, integrity and consistency of
the data. This is different than the file storage used in a DBMS.
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Other differences between database management systems and relational database

management systems include:
 Number of allowed users. While a DBMS can only accept one user at a
time, an RDBMS can operate with multiple users.
 Hardware and software requirements. A DBMS needs less software and
hardware than an RDBMS.
 Amount of data. RDBMSes can handle any amount of data, from small to
large, while a DBMS can only manage small amounts.
 Database structure. In a DBMS, data is kept in a hierarchical form,
whereas an RDBMS utilizes a table where the headers are used as column
names and the rows contain the corresponding values.
 ACID implementation. DBMSes do not use the atomicity, consistency,
isolation and durability (ACID) model for storing data. On the other hand,
RDBMSes base the structure of their data on the ACID model to ensure
consistency.
 Distributed databases. While an RDBMS offers complete support
for distributed databases, a DBMS will not provide support.
 Types of programs managed. While an RDBMS helps manage the
relationships between its incorporated tables of data, a DBMS focuses on
maintaining databases that are present within the computer network and
system hard disks.
 Support of database normalization. An RDBMS can be normalized, but a
DBMS cannot.
Features of relational database management systems
Elements of the relational database management system that overarch the basic
relational database are so intrinsic to operations that it is hard to dissociate the two
in practice.
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The most basic RDBMS functions are related to create, read, update and delete
operations -- collectively known as CRUD. They form the foundation of a well-
organized system that promotes consistent treatment of data.
The RDBMS typically provides data dictionaries and metadata collections that are
useful in data handling. These programmatically support well-defined data
structures and relationships. Data storage management is a common capability of
the RDBMS, and this has come to be defined by data objects that range from
binary large object -- or blob -- strings to stored procedures. Data objects like this
extend the scope of basic relational database operations and can be handled in a
variety of ways in different RDBMSes.
The most common means of data access for the RDBMS is SQL. Its main language
components comprise data manipulation language and data definition
language statements. Extensions are available for development efforts that pair
SQL use with common programming languages, such as the Common Business-
Oriented Language (COBOL), Java and .NET.
RDBMSes use complex algorithms that support multiple concurrent user access to
the database while maintaining data integrity. Security management, which
enforces policy-based access, is yet another overlay service that the RDBMS
provides for the basic database as it is used in enterprise settings.
RDBMSes support the work of database administrators (DBAs) who must manage
and monitor database activity. Utilities help automate data loading and database
backup. RDBMSes manage log files that track system performance based on
selected operational parameters. This enables measurement of database usage,
capacity and performance, particularly query performance. RDBMSes provide
graphical interfaces that help DBAs visualize database activity.
While not limited solely to the RDBMS, ACID compliance is an attribute of
relational technology that has proved important in enterprise computing. These
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capabilities have particularly suited RDBMSes for handling business transactions.

As RDBMSes have matured, they have achieved increasingly higher levels of
query optimization, and they have become key parts of reporting, analytics
and data warehousing applications for businesses as well. RDBMSes are intrinsic
to operations of a variety of enterprise applications and are at the center of
most master data management systems.
How RDBMS works
As mentioned before, an RDBMS will store data in the form of a table. Each
system will have varying numbers of tables with each table possessing its own
unique primary key. The primary key is then used to identify each table.
Within the table are rows and columns. The rows are known as records or
horizontal entities; they contain the information for the individual entry. The
columns are known as vertical entities and possess information about the specific
field.
Before creating these tables, the RDBMS must check the following constraints:
 Primary keys -- this identifies each row in the table. One table can only
contain one primary key. The key must be unique and without null values.
 Foreign keys -- this is used to link two tables. The foreign key is kept in one
table and refers to the primary key associated with another table.
 Not null -- this ensures that every column does not have a null value, such as
an empty cell.
 Check -- this confirms that each entry in a column or row satisfies a precise
condition and that every column holds unique data.
 Data integrity -- the integrity of the data must be confirmed before the data
is created.
Assuring the integrity of data includes several specific tests, including entity,
domain, referential and user-defined integrity. Entity integrity confirms that the
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rows are not duplicated in the table. Domain integrity makes sure that data is
entered into the table based on specific conditions, such as file format or range of
values. Referential integrity ensures that any row that is re-linked to a different
table cannot be deleted. Finally, user-defined integrity confirms that the table will
satisfy all user-defined conditions.
Advantages of relational database management system
The use of an RDBMS can be beneficial to most organizations; the systematic
view of raw data helps companies better understand and execute the information
while enhancing the decision-making process. The use of tables to store data also
improves the security of information stored in the databases. Users are able to
customize access and set barriers to limit the content that is made available. This
feature makes the RDBMS particularly useful to companies in which the manager
decides what data is provided to employees and customers.
Furthermore, RDBMSes make it easy to add new data to the system or alter
existing tables while ensuring consistency with the previously available content.
Other advantages of the RDBMS include:
 Flexibility -- updating data is more efficient since the changes only need to
be made in one place.
 Maintenance -- database administrators can easily maintain, control and
update data in the database. Backups also become easier since automation
tools included in the RDBMS automate these tasks.
 Data structure -- the table format used in RDBMSes is easy to understand
and provides an organized and structural manner through which entries are
matched by firing queries.
On the other hand, relational database management systems do not come without
their disadvantages. For example, in order to implement an RDBMS, special
software must be purchased. This introduces an additional cost for execution. Once
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the software is obtained, the setup process can be tedious since it requires millions
of lines of content to be transferred into the RDBMS tables. This process may
require the additional help of a programmer or a team of data entry specialists.
Special attention must be paid to the data during entry to ensure sensitive
information is not placed into the wrong hands.
Some other drawbacks of the RDBMS include the character limit placed on certain
fields in the tables and the inability to fully understand new forms of data -- such
as complex numbers, designs and images.
Furthermore, while isolated databases can be created using an RDBMS, the
process requires large chunks of information to be separated from each other.
Connecting these large amounts of data to form the isolated database can be very
complicated.
Uses of RDBMS
Relational database management systems are frequently used in disciplines such as
manufacturing, human resources and banking. The system is also useful for airlines
that need to store ticket service and passenger documentation information as well
as universities maintaining student databases.
Some examples of specific systems that use RDBMS include IBM, Oracle,
MySQL, Microsoft SQLServer and PostgreSQL.
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CHAPTER THREE
3. Conceptual Database Design and E-R Modeling
3.1. Introduction
As it is one component in most information system development tasks, there are several steps in
designing a database system. Here more emphasis is given to the design phases of the system
development life cycle.
The major steps in database design are;

A. Planning: that is identifying information gap in an organization and propose a database solution to solve
the problem.
B. Analysis: that concentrates more on fact finding about the problem or the opportunity. Feasibility
analysis, requirement determination and structuring, and selection of best design method are also
performed at this phase.
C. Design: in database development more emphasis is given to this phase. The phase is further divided into
three sub-phases.
I. Conceptual Design: concise description of the data, data type, relationship between data and constraints
on the data.
 There is no implementation or physical detail consideration.
 Used to elicit and structure all information requirements
Conceptual design revolves around discovering and analyzing organizational and user data requirements.
The important activities are to identify:-
I. Entities
II. Attributes
III. Relationships
IV. Constraints
V. And based on these identified components then develop the ER model using ER diagrams
Designing conceptual model for the database is not a one linear process but an iterative activity
where the design is refined again and again.
To identify the entities, attributes, relationships, and constraints on the data, there are different
set of methods used during the analysis phase. These include information gathered by:
 Interviewing end users individually and in a group
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 Questionnaire survey
 Direct observation
 Examining different documents Analysis of requirements gathered:
 Nouns prospective entities
 Adjectives prospective attributes
 Verbs/verb phrases prospective relationships
The basic E-R model is graphically depicted and presented for review. The process is repeated
until the end users and designers agree that the E-R diagram is a fair representation of the
organizations activities and functions. Checking for Redundant Relationships in the ER Diagram
Relationships between entities indicate access from one entity to another – it is therefore possible
to access one entity occurrence from another entity occurrence even if there are other entities and
relationships that separate them – this is often referred to as Navigation’ of the ER diagram. The
last phase in ER modeling is validating an ER Model against requirement of the user.
II. Logical Design: a higher level conceptual abstraction with selected specific data model to implement the
data structure.
 It is particular DBMS independent and with no other physical considerations.
III. Physical Design: physical implementation of the logical design of the database with respect to internal
storage and file structure of the database for the selected DBMS.
 To develop all technology and organizational specification.
D. Implementation: the testing and deployment of the designed database for use.
E. Operation and Support: administering and maintaining the operation of the database system and
providing support to users. Tuning the database operations for best performance.
3.2. Conceptual Database Design
3.2.1. Steps to Build Conceptual Data Model
4 steps in designing a conceptual data model using the E-R diagram
 Identify entity sets

 Define the value sets, attributes and primary key for each entity set
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 Identify relationship sets and semantic information (cardinality, subtype/super type) for
each relationship set
 Integrate multiple views of entities, attributes, and relationships
3.2.2. Symbols Used in ER Diagram
Figure 2:- Symbols Used in ER Diagram:-

Concept Symbol
Entity Rectangle
Weak entity Double rectangle
Associative entity Diamond within a rectangle
Relationship Diamond
Identifying relationship Double diamond
Cardinality Crow's foot
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Mandatory cardinality Solid "|"(s) superimposed on the relationship line
Optional cardinality A "0" superimpose on the relationship line
Subtype/Super type Circle
Direction of subtype/super type Open-end of the "U" points towards a super type
Total specialization Double line extending from a super type
Disjoint rule A "d" in the circle joining the super type & its subtypes
Overlap rule An "o" in the circle joining the super type & its subtypes
Attribute Ellipse
Multi-valued attribute Double ellipse
Identifier Underlined
Derived attribute Broken ellipse
PROJECTS TEAMS
WORK
S ON
Fig 4. Relationship Attributes
3.3. Design ER Diagram
Basic constructs of the E-R model
Concept Definition Examples
Entity A person, place, object, event or concept Employee, department, building,

sale, account
Relationship An entity that serves to interconnect two Assignment (Employee-

or more entity types Department)
Attribute A property or characteristic of an Employee_name, department_loca

entity/relationship type tion, sale_date
Constraints Guiding policies or rules that defines or All business majors must have a
restricts the structure and processing of a GPA of 2.9 or above
database
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The Entity Relationship (E/R) data model is a diagrammatical data model. The elements of the
E/R model are represented by the following symbols:-
Example
- “EMPLOYEES” are Assigned to “TEAMS”
- “CUSTOMERS” Owns “PROJECTS”
- “TEAMS” works on “PROJECTS”
Composite attributes are represented by linked ellipses as depicted in the above figure with the
attributes “Address” and “H Addrs”.
Relationship Attributes: Attribute(s) may be used in some relationships to describe the

relationship further. Consider the relationship “WorksOn” between the “TEAMS” and
“PROJECTS” entity sets. The relationship can be further described if an attribute “Task” is
added to it as follows.
Multi-way Relationship: Consider the three way relationship between the “PROJECTS”,
“TEAMS”, and “SOFTWARE” entity sets.
Multi-way Relationship: Consider the three way relationship between the “PROJECTS”,
“TEAMS”, and “SOFTWARE” entity sets.
Cardinality Limits of a Relationship: The credential limit of a relationship is labeled as:
- 0..* or 0..∞ indicating zero or more participation of the entity in the relationship.
- 1..* or 1..∞ indicating one or more participation of the entity in the relationship.
- 0..1 indicating zero or one participation of the entity in the relationship.
- 1..1 indicating exactly one participation of the entity in the relationship.
3.4. Entity-Relationship Diagram Building Blocks

The three basic notions of the E/R model are:
฀ Entity: represents existing real-world objects or concepts, such as places, objects, events,
persons, orders, customers, and so on.
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฀ Relationship: represents associations between objects, such as the fact that a customer may
place an order.
Attribute: describes the entity, such as the invoice date or the customer first name.
Case Study (The case in here is only for teaching purpose and it is no way related to any
company)
Consider a database system to be developed for “XYZ Software Share Company”. The following
are brief and short listed structures of the Company.
- The company runs various projects with a total of 68 full‐time employees and over 120 part‐
time employees.
- A project has a unique id and a name that may be designed for a new software development or
for a release of a new version of software that had been developed by the company.
- The projects are having start date, due date, complete date and status that describe their
progress. Every project is lead by a senior
manager organized into teams of five to eight programmers coordinated by a team leader.
- The owners of the projects are the customers of the company. A single customer can own one
or more projects. The customers have unique id, name and address.
- The company is organized into departments that are identified by a unique name and lead by
department heads. A department head can only lead a single department in his/her employment
by the company.
- An employee can only belong to one department. Every employee is identified by an Id, a
name, an address, and a position. In addition full‐time employees have monthly salary and
allowance rate; and part‐time employees have contract period and hourly rate. Working schedule
of both full‐time employees and part‐time employees is maintained on weekly bases.
Entity Sets
Entities are the principal data objects about which information is to be collected in E/R model.
Entities are usually recognizable concepts, either concrete or abstract, such as person, places,
things, or events which have relevance to the database. An entity set is then a set consisting of
the same type of entities that share same properties.
Consider the case study; some specific examples of entities are then:
EMPLOYEES, PROJECTS, CUSTOMERS …
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The candidate entities from the requirement statements are the nouns and the adjective noun
phrases. The “EMPLOYEES” entity set represents all the set of employees and the “Projects”
entity set represents all the set of projects.
Entities are classified as independent (Strong) or dependent (Weak).
฀ A strong (independent) entity is one that does not rely on other entities for identification.
฀ A weak (dependent) entity is one that relies on other entities for identification.
An individual occurrence of an entity set is also known as an instance (object).
Attributes
Attributes are descriptive properties that are associated with an entity. A set of attributes
describe an entity.
A particular instance of an attribute is called a value.
For example, “Employee Id” and “Name” are the attributes of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set;
and
“Kevin Jones” is one value of the attribute “Name”.
The domain of an attribute is the collection of all possible values an attribute can have. The
domain of “Name” is a character string.
Attributes can be classified as identifiers or descriptors.
Identifiers: more commonly called keys, uniquely identify an instance of an entity. Example:
“Employee Id” uniquely identifies an employee entity from the entity set. Criteria for selecting
identifiers
 Permanent
 Non-null
 Non-derived
 Simple
฀ Descriptor: describes a non-unique characteristic of an entity instance.
Example: “Name” is a descriptor for the “EMPLOYEES” entity set.
Other way of categorizing Attributes is as Simple and Composite attributes.
฀ Simple Attributes: are attributes also known as Atomic Attributes that cannot be
divided into subparts mainly of primitive types.
Example: “Age” and “Gender” of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set.
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Composite Attributes: are attributes that are composed of smaller subparts that can be
subdivided into the subparts (Attributes).
Example: “Address” of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set that can be divided into
“City”, “Home Address”, “Phone”, and “P.O. Box”
Another classification of attributes is based on the values that they can hold as: Single-valued
and Multi-valued attributes.
 Single-valued Attributes: are attributes having only one possible value at any time.
Example: “Name” and “Gender” of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set.
 Multi-valued Attributes: are attributes that are having possibly more than one value.
Example: “Address” of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set.
Attributes can also be categorized Stored and Derived attributes.
฀ Derived Attributes: are attributes that can be calculated from the related stored attributes,
entities or general states.
Stored Attributes: on the other hand are attributes that can not be calculated in any way from
the stored attributes.
Example: “Birth Date” of the “EMPLOYEES” entity set is a stored attribute, where as “Age” is a
derived attribute that can be calculated from the “Birth Date” and “Current Date”.
Relationship Sets
A Relationship represents an association between two or more entities. An example of a

relationship would be:
- “EMPLOYEES” are Assigned to “TEAMS”
- “CUSTOMERS” Owns “PROJECTS”
- “TEAMS” works on “PROJECTS”
A Relationship Set is then a set consisting same types of relationships. The entities involved in
the relationship are known as participating entities and the function the entity plays in a
relationship is called the entity’s role.
Example: In the Assigned relationship “EMPLOYEES” and “TEAMS” entity sets are the
participating entity sets; and the “EMPLOYEES” entity has a role as a “Programmer” or
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“Team Leader” in the relationship.
Relationships are classified in terms of degree, connectivity, cardinality, and existence.
Degree: The degree of a relationship is the number of entities associated with the relationship.
The n-ary (multi-way) relationship is the general form for degree n. Special cases are the binary,
and ternary, where the degree is 2, and 3, respectively
Connectivity: The connectivity of a relationship describes the mapping of associated entity

instances in the relationship. The values of connectivity are “one” or “many”.
Cardinality: The cardinality of a relationship is the actual number of related occurrences for
each of the two entities. The basic types of connectivity for relations are: one-to-one, one-to-
many, and many-to-many.
Existence: denotes whether the existence of an entity instance is dependent upon the existence of
another, related, entity instance. The existence of an entity in a relationship is defined as either
mandatory or optional.
3.5. Mapping ER Diagram to Relational Tables
ER Model, when conceptualized into diagrams, gives a good overview of entity-relationship,

which is easier to understand. ER diagrams can be mapped to relational schema, that is, it is
possible to create relational schema using ER diagram. We cannot import all the ER constraints
into relational model, but an approximate schema can be generated.
There are several processes and algorithms available to convert ER Diagrams into Relational
Schema. Some of them are automated and some of them are manual. We may focus here on the
mapping diagram contents to relational basics.
ER diagrams mainly comprise of −
 Entity and its attributes

 Relationship, which is association among entities.
Mapping Entity
An entity is a real-world object with some attributes.
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Mapping Process (Algorithm)
 Create table for each entity.

 Entity's attributes should become fields of tables with their respective data types.
 Declare primary key.
Mapping Relationship
A relationship is an association among entities.
Mapping Process
 Create table for a relationship.

 Add the primary keys of all participating Entities as fields of table with their respective data types.
 If relationship has any attribute, add each attribute as field of table.
 Declare a primary key composing all the primary keys of participating entities.
 Declare all foreign key constraints.
Mapping Weak Entity Sets
A weak entity set is one which does not have any primary key associated with it.
Mapping Process
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 Create table for weak entity set.

 Add all its attributes to table as field.
 Add the primary key of identifying entity set.
 Declare all foreign key constraints.
Mapping Hierarchical Entities
ER specialization or generalization comes in the form of hierarchical entity sets.
Mapping Process
 Create tables for all higher-level entities.
 Create tables for lower-level entities.
 Add primary keys of higher-level entities in the table of lower-level entities.
 In lower-level tables, add all other attributes of lower-level entities.
 Declare primary key of higher-level table and the primary key for lower-level table.
 Declare foreign key constraints.
3.6. Problem with ER Models

The E-R model can result problems due to limitations in the way the entities are related in the
relational databases. These problems are called connection traps. These problems often occur
due to a misinterpretation of the meaning of certain relationships.
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Two main types of connection traps are called fan traps and chasm traps.
Fan Trap. It occurs when a model represents a relationship between entity types, but pathway
between certain entity occurrences is ambiguous.
A fan trap occurs when one to many relationships fan out from a single entity.
Chasm Trap. It occurs when a model suggests the existence of a relationship between entity
types, but pathway does not exist between certain entity occurrences.
For example: Consider a database of Department, Site and Staff, where one site can contain
number of department, but a department is situated only at a single site. There are multiple staff
members working at a single site and a staff member can work from a single site. The above
case is represented in e-r diagram shown.
The problem of above e-r diagram is that, which staff works in a particular department remain
answered. The solution is to restructure the original E-R model to’ represent the correct
association as shown.
In other words the two entities should have a direct relationship between them to provide the
necessary information.
There is one another way to solve the problem of e-r diagram of figure, by introducing direct
relationship between DEPT and STAFF as shown in figure.
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Another example: Let us consider another case, where one branch contains multiple staff
members and cars, which are represented.
The problem of above E-R diagram is that, it is unable to tell which member of staff uses a
particular, which is represented. It is not possible tell which member of staff uses’ car SH34.
The solution is to shown the relationship between STAFF and CAR as shown.
With this relationship the fan rap is resolved and now it is possible to tell car SH34 is used by
S1500 as shown in figure. It means it is now possible to tell which car is used by which staff.
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Chasm Trap
As discussed earlier, a chasm trap occurs when a model suggests the existence of a relationship between
entity types, but the pathway does not exist between certain entity occurrences.
It occurs where there is a relationship with partial participation, which forms part of the
pathway between entities that are related.
For example: Let us consider a database where, a single branch is allocated many staff who
handles the management of properties for rent. Not all staff members handle the property and
not all property is managed by a member of staff. The above case is represented in the e-r
diagram.
Now, the above e-r

diagram is not able to represent what properties are available at a branch. The partial
participation of Staff and Property in the SP relation means that some properties cannot be
associated with a branch office through a member of staff.
We need to add the missing relationship which is called BP between the Branch and the
Property entities as shown.
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Another example: Consider another case, where a branch has multiple cars but a car can be
associated with a single branch. The car is handles by a single staff and a staff can use only a
single cat. Some of staff members have no car available for their use. The above case is
represented in E-R diagram with appropriate connectivity and cardinality.
The problem of the above

E-R diagram is that, it is not possible tell in which branch staff member S0003 works at as
shown.
It means the above e-r diagram is not able to represent the relationship between the BRANCH
and STAFF due the partial participation of CAR and STAFF entities. We need to add the
missing relationship which is called BS between the Branch and STAFF entities as shown.
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With this relationship the Chasm trap resolved and now it is possible to represent to which
branch each member of staff works at, as for our example of staff S003 as shown.
3.7. Enhanced Entity Relationship (EER) Models

EER is a high-level data model that incorporates the extensions to the original ER model. It is a
diagrammatic technique for displaying the following concepts
 Sub Class and Super Class
 Specialization and Generalization
 Union or Category
 Aggregation
These concepts are used when the comes in EER schema and the resulting schema diagrams called as
EER Diagrams.
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3.7.1. Features of EER Model

 EER creates a design more accurate to database schemas.
 It reflects the data properties and constraints more precisely.
 It includes all modeling concepts of the ER model.
 Diagrammatic technique helps for displaying the EER schema.
 It includes the concept of specialization and generalization.
 It is used to represent a collection of objects that is union of objects of different of different entity
types.
A. Sub Class and Super Class
 Sub class and Super class relationship leads the concept of Inheritance.
 The relationship between sub class and super class is denoted with symbol.
1. Super Class
 Super class is an entity type that has a relationship with one or more subtypes.
 An entity cannot exist in database merely by being member of any super class.
For example: Shape super class is having sub groups as Square, Circle, Triangle.
2. Sub Class
 Sub class is a group of entities with unique attributes.
 Sub class inherits properties and attributes from its super class.
For example: Square, Circle, Triangle are the sub class of Shape super class.
B. Specialization and Generalization
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1. Generalization
 Generalization is the process of generalizing the entities which contain the properties of all the
generalized entities.
 It is a bottom approach, in which two lower level entities combine to form a higher level entity.
 Generalization is the reverse process of Specialization.
 It defines a general entity type from a set of specialized entity type.
 It minimizes the difference between the entities by identifying the common features.
For example:
In the above example, Tiger, Lion, Elephant can all be generalized as Animals.
2. Specialization
 Specialization is a process that defines a group entities which is divided into sub groups based on
their characteristic.
 It is a top down approach, in which one higher entity can be broken down into two lower level
entity.
 It maximizes the difference between the members of an entity by identifying the unique
characteristic or attributes of each member.
 It defines one or more sub class for the super class and also forms the superclass/subclass
relationship.
For example
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In the above example, Employee can be specialized as Developer or Tester, based on what role they
play in an Organization.
C. Category or Union
 Category represents a single super class or sub class relationship with more than one super class.
 It can be a total or partial participation.
For example Car booking, Car owner can be a person, a bank (holds a possession on a Car) or a
company. Category (sub class) → Owner is a subset of the union of the three super classes →
Company, Bank, and Person. A Category member must exist in at least one of its super classes.
D. Aggregation
 Aggregation is a process that represent a relationship between a whole object and its component
parts.
 It abstracts a relationship between objects and viewing the relationship as an object.
 It is a process when two entity is treated as a single entity.
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In the above example, the relation between College and Course is acting as an Entity in Relation with
Student.
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CHAPTER FOUR
4. Logical Database Design
4.1. Introduction
Logical data modeling is one of three types or stages of database design or modeling, along with
conceptual and physical database design or modeling. Sometimes referred to as information
modeling, logical data modeling is the second of these stages. It helps organizations develop a
visual understanding of the information they must process to successfully complete specific tasks
or business processes.
Logical database design is the process of deciding how to arrange the attributes of the entities in
a given business environment into database structures, such as the tables of a relational database.
The goal of logical database design is to create well-structured tables that properly reflect the
company's business environment. The tables will be able to store data about the company's
entities in a non-redundant manner and foreign keys will be placed in the tables so that all the
relationships among the entities will be supported. As a graphical representation of the
information requirements for a given business area, a logical data model is constructed by taking
the data descriptions depicted in a conceptual data model and introducing associated elements,
definitions and greater context for the data’s structure.
4.2. Logical Database Design for Relational Model
Converting ER Diagram to Relational Tables
Three basic rules to convert ER into tables or relations:
Rule 1: Entity Names will automatically be table names
Rule 2: Mapping of attributes: attributes will be columns of the respective tables.
 Atomic or single-valued or derived or stored attributes will be columns
o Composite attributes: the parent attribute will be ignored and the decomposed
attributes (child attributes) will be columns of the table.
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o Multi-valued attributes: will be mapped to a new table where the primary key of
the main table will be posted for cross referencing.
Rule 3: Relationships: relationship will be mapped by using a foreign key attribute. Foreign key
is a primary or candidate key of one relation used to create association between tables.
For a relationship with One-to-One Cardinality: post the primary or candidate key of one of the
table into the other as a foreign key. In cases where one entity is having partial participation on
the relationship, it is recommended to post the candidate key of the partial participants to the
total participant so as to save some memory location due to null values on the foreign key
attribute. E.g.: for a relationship between Employee and Department where employee manages a
department, the cardinality is one-to-one as one employee will manage only one department and
one department will have one manager. here the PK of the Employee can be posted to the
Department or the PK of the Department can be posted to the Employee. But the Employee is
having partial participation on the relationship “Manages” as not all employees are managers of
departments. thus, even though both way is possible, it is recommended to post the primary key
of the employee to the Department table as a foreign key.
For a relationship with One-to-Many Cardinality: Post the primary key or candidate key from
the ―one‖ side as a foreign key attribute to the ―many‖ side. E.g.: For a relationship
called ―Belongs To‖ between Employee (Many) and Department (One) the primary or candidate
key of the one side which is Department should be posted to the many side which is Employee
table.
For a relationship with Many-to-Many Cardinality: for relationships having many to many
cardinality, one has to create a new table (which is the associative entity) and post primary key or
candidate key from the participant entities as foreign key attributes in the new table along with
some additional attributes (if applicable). The same approach should be used for relationships
with degree greater than binary.
For a relationship having Associative Entity property: in cases where the relationship has its
own attributes (associative entity), one has to create a new table for the associative entity and
post primary key or candidate key from the participating entities as foreign key attributes in the
new table.
4.3. Normalization
Database normalization is a series of steps followed to obtain a database design that allows for
consistent storage and efficient access of data in a relational database. These steps reduce data
redundancy and the risk of data becoming inconsistent. NORMALIZATION is the process of
identifying the logical associations between data items and designing a database that will
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represent such associations but without suffering the update anomalies which are; Insertion
Anomalies, Deletion Anomalies and Modification Anomalies.
NORMALIZATION is:-
- Is a formal process for deciding which attributes should be grouped together in a relation.
- Is the process of successively reducing relations with anomalies to produce smaller, well-
structured relations. Following are some of the main goals of normalization:
1. Minimize data redundancy, thereby avoiding anomalies and conserving
storage space.
2. Simplify the enforcement of referential integrity constraints.
3. Make it easier to maintain data (insert, update and delete).
4. Provide a better design that is an improved representation of the real world
and a stronger basis for future growth.
Steps in Normalization
A normal form is a state of a relation that results from applying simple rules regarding
functional dependencies for relationships between attributes to that relation.
1. First normal form- Any multivalued attributes (also called repeating groups) have been
removed, so there is a single value (possibly null) at the intersection of each row and
column of the table.
2. Second normal form – Any partial functional dependencies have been removed (i. e.,
nonkeys are identified by the whole primary key).
3. Third normal form- Any transitive dependencies have been removed (i. e., nonkeys are
identified by only the primary key).
4. Boyce- Codd normal form – Any remaining anomalies that resukt from functional
dependencies have been removed (because there was more than one primary key for the
same nonkeys).
5. Fourth normal form – Any multivalued dependencies have been removed.
6. Fifth normal form – Any remaining anomalies have been removed.
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Fig 1:- Normalization in figure format
Summary of Normalization in a Nutshell :
Normal
Form Test Remedy (Normalization)
Relation should have no non-atomic Form name relation for each non-atomic
1NF attributes or nested relations. attribute or nested relation.
Decompose and set up a new relation for

each partial key with its dependent
For relations where primary key contains attributes. Make sure to keep a relation
multiple attributes, no non-key attributes with the original primary key and any
should be functionally dependent on a attributes that are fully functionally
2NF part of the primary key. dependent on it.
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Relation should not have a non-key

attribute functionally determined by
another non-key attribute (or by a sets of Decompose and set up a relation that
non-key attributes) i.e., there should be no includes the non-key attribute(s) that
transitive dependency of a non-key functionally determine(s) other non-key
3NF attribute of the primary key. attribute(s).
Relation should not have any attribute in

Functional Dependency which is non-
prime, the attribute that doesn’t occur in Make sure that the left side of every
BCNF any candidate key. functional dependency is a candidate key.
The relation should not have a multi-

value dependency means it occur when
two attributes of a table are independent
of each other but both depend on a third
4NF attribute. Decompose the table into two subtables.
The relation should not have join

dependency means if a table can be
recreated by joining multiple tables and
each of the tables has a subset of the Decompose all the tables into as many as
attributes of the table, then the table is possible numbers in order to avoid
5NF in Join Dependency. dependency.
Normalization may reduce system performance since data will be cross referenced from many
tables. Thus denormalization is sometimes used to improve performance, at the cost of reduced
consistency guarantees.
All the normalization rules will eventually remove the update anomalies that may exist during
data manipulation after the implementation. The update anomalies are;
The type of problems that could occur in insufficiently normalized table is called update
anomalies which includes;
 Insertion anomalies
An “insertion anomaly” is a failure to place information about a new database entry into all the
places in the database where information about that new entry needs to be stored. Additionally,
we may have difficulty to insert some data. In a properly normalized database, information about
a new entry needs to be inserted into only one place in the database; in an inadequately
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normalized database, information about a new entry may need to be inserted into more than one
place and, human fallibility being what it is, some of the needed additional insertions may be
missed.
 Deletion anomalies
o “deletion anomaly” is a failure to remove information about an existing database entry when it is
time to remove that entry. Additionally, deletion of one data may result in lose of other
information. In a properly normalized database, information about an old, to-begotten-rid-of
entry needs to be deleted from only one place in the database; in an inadequately normalized
database, information about that old entry may need to be deleted from more than one place, and,
human fallibility being what it is, some of the needed additional deletions may be missed.
 Modification anomalies
o modification of a database involves changing some value of the attribute of a table. In a properly
normalized database table, what ever information is modified by the user, the change will be
effected and used accordingly.
In order to avoid the update anomalies we in a given table, the solution is to decompose it to
smaller tables based on the rule of normalization. However, the decomposition has two
important properties
a. The Lossless-join property insures that any instance of the original relation can be identified
from the instances of the smaller relations.
1. The Dependency preservation property implies that constraint on the original dependency can
be maintained by enforcing some constraints on the smaller relations. i.e. we don‘t have to
perform Join operation to check whether a constraint on the original relation is violated or not.
The purpose of normalization is to reduce the chances for anomalies to occur in a database
Example of problems related with Anomalies
EmpID FName LName SkillID Skill SkillType School SchoolAdd Skill Level
12 Abebe Mekuria 2 SQL Database AAU Sidist_Kilo 5
16 Lemma Alemu 5 C++ Programming Unity Gerji 6
28 Chane Kebede 2 SQL Database AAU Sidist_Kilo 10
25 Abera Taye 6 VB6 Programming Helico Piazza 8
65 Almaz Belay 2 SQL Database Helico Piazza 9
24 Dereje Tamiru 8 Oracle Database Unity Gerji 5
51 Selam Belay 4 Prolog Programming Jimma Jimma City 8
94 Alem Kebede 3 Cisco Networking AAU Sidist_Kilo 7
18 Girma Dereje 1 IP Programming Jimma Jimma City 4
13 Yared Gizaw 7 Java Programming AAU Sidist_Kilo 6
Deletion Anomalies:
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If employee with ID 16 is deleted then ever information about skill C++ and the type of skill is
deleted from the database. Then we will not have any information about C++ and its skill type.
Insertion Anomalies:
What if we have a new employee with a skill called Pascal? We can not decide
weather Pascal is allowed as a value for skill and we have no clue about the type of
skill that Pascal should be categorized as.
Modification Anomalies:
What if the address for Helico is changed from Piazza to Mexico? We need to look for every
occurrence of Helico and change the value of School_Add from Piazza to Mexico, which is
prone to error.
Database-management system can work only with the information that we put explicitly into its
tables for a given database and into its rules for working with those tables, where such rules are
appropriate and possible.
Functional Dependency (FD)
Before moving to the definition and application of normalization, it is important to have an

understanding of “functional dependency.”
Data Dependency
The logical associations between data items that point the database designer in the direction of a
good database design are refered to as determinant or dependent relationships.
Two data items A and B are said to be in a determinant or dependent relationship if certain
values of data item B always appears with certain values of data item A. if the data item A is the
determinant data item and B the dependent data item then the direction of the association is from
A to B and not vice versa.
The essence of this idea is that if the existence of something, call it A, implies that B must exist
and have a certain value, then we say that “B is functionally dependent on A.” We also often
express this idea by saying that “A functionally determines B,” or that “B is a function of A,” or
that “A functionally governs B.” Often, the notions of functionality and functional dependency
are expressed briefly by the statement, “If A, then B.” It is important to note that the value of B
must be unique for a given value of A, i.e., any given value of A must imply just one and only
one value of B, in order for the relationship to qualify for the name “function.” (However, this
does not necessarily prevent different values of A from implying the same value of B.)
However, for the purpose of normalization, we are interested in finding 1..1 (one to one)
dependencies, lasting for all times (intension rather than extension of the database), and the
determinant having the minimal number of attributes.
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X à Y holds if whenever two tuples have the same value for X, they must have the same value
for Y
The notation is: AàB which is read as; B is functionally dependent on A
In general, a functional dependency is a relationship among attributes. In relational databases,

we can have a determinant that governs one or several other attributes.
FDs are derived from the real-world constraints on the attributes and they are properties on the
database intension not extension.
Example
Dinner Course Type of Wine

Meat Red
Fish White
Cheese Rose
Since the type of Wine served depends on the type of Dinner, we say Wine is functionally
dependent on Dinner.
Dinner à Wine
Dinner Course Type of Wine Type of Fork

Meat Red Meat fork
Fish White Fish fork
Cheese Rose Cheese fork
Since both Wine type and Fork type are determined by the Dinner type, we say Wine is
functionally dependent on Dinner and Fork is functionally dependent on Dinner.
Dinner à Wine
Dinner à Fork
Partial Dependency
If an attribute which is not a member of the primary key is dependent on some part of the
primary key (if we have composite primary key) then that attribute is partially functionally
dependent on the primary key.
Let {A,B} is the Primary Key and C is no key attribute.
Then if {A,B}àC and BàC
Then C is partially functionally dependent on {A,B}
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Full Functional Dependency
If an attribute which is not a member of the primary key is not dependent on some part of the
primary key but the whole key (if we have composite primary key) then that attribute is fully
functionally dependent on the primary key.
Let {A,B} be the Primary Key and C is a non- key attribute
Then if {A,B}àC and BàC and AàC does not hold
Then C Fully functionally dependent on {A,B}
Transitive Dependency
In mathematics and logic, a transitive relationship is a relationship of the following form: “If A
implies B, and if also B implies C, then A implies C.”
Example:
If Mr X is a Human, and if every Human is an Animal, then Mr X must be an Animal.
Generalized way of describing transitive dependency is that:
If A functionally governs B, AND
If B functionally governs C
THEN A functionally governs C
Provided that neither C nor B determines A i.e. (B /à A and C /à A) In the normal notation:
{(AàB) AND (BàC)} ==> AàC provided that B /à A and C /à A
4.4. Pitfalls of Normalization

There are a few drawbacks in normalization :
1. Creating a longer task, because there are more tables to join, the need to join those
tables increases and the task become more tedious (longer and slower). The database
become harder to realize as well.
2. Tables will contain codes rather than real data as the repeated data will be stored as
lines of codes rather than the true data. Therefore, there is always a need to go to the
lookup table, thus the system will be slower to perform.
3. Making querry more difficult, because it consists of an SQL that is constructed
dynamically and is usually constructed by desktop friendly query tools, hence it is hard
to model the database without knowing what the customers desires.
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4. Requires Detailed Analysis and Design, Normalizing a database is a complex and

difficult task, because analyst have to know the purpose of the database, such as
whether it should it be optimized for reading data, writing data or both, also affects how
it is normalized. A poorly normalized database may perform badly and store data
inefficiently.
4.5. Denormalization
Denormalization is a strategy used on a previously-normalized database to increase performance.

The idea behind it is to add redundant data where we think it will help us the most. It is a process
of trying to improve the read performance of a database, at the expense of losing some write
performance, by adding redundant copies of data or by grouping data.
Denormalization refers to a refinement to relational schema such that the degree of
normalization for a modified relation is less than the degree of at least one of the original
relations.
It refers to situations where two relations are combined into one new relation, which is still
normalized but contains more nulls than original relations.
Things that needs to be considered when doing denormalization :

1. Makes implementation more complex, because there will be more redundant data and
anomalies that will effect the implementation process.
2. Often sacrifices flexibility.
3. May speed up retrievals but it slows down updates, data redundancy will slow the data
updates because there will be more tables to be updated.
When to use Denormalization :
1. Maintaining history
2. Improving query performance, Some of the queries may use multiple tables to access
data that we frequently need
3. Speeding up reporting, We need certain statistics very frequently. Creating them from
live data is quite time-consuming and can affect overall system performance.
4. Computing commonly-needed values up front, We want to have some values ready-
computed so we don’t have to generate them in real time.
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CHAPTER FIVE
5. Physical Database Design
5.1. What is physical database design process?
Physical database design is the process of transforming logical data models into physical
data models. An experienced database designer will make a physical database design in parallel
with conceptual data modeling if they know the type of database technology that will be used.
Conceptual data modeling is about understanding the organization and gathering the right
requirements. Physical database design, on the other hand, is about creating stable database
structures correctly expressing the requirements in a technical language.
The physical design of your database optimizes performance while ensuring data integrity by
avoiding unnecessary data redundancies. During physical design, you transform the entities into
tables, the instances into rows, and the attributes into columns.
After completing the logical design of your database, you now move to the physical design. You
and your colleagues need to make many decisions that affect the physical design, some of which
are listed below.
 How to translate entities into physical tables

 What attributes to use for columns of the physical tables
 Which columns of the tables to define as keys
 What indexes to define on the tables
 What views to define on the tables
 How to denormalize the tables
 How to resolve many-to-many relationships
 What designs can take advantage of hash access
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5.2. Moving from Logical to Physical Design
How can we translate logical database design for target RDBMS?
Logical design is what you draw with a pen and paper or design with Oracle Warehouse Builder
or Oracle Designer before building your data warehouse. Physical design is the creation of the
database with SQL statements.
During the physical design process, you convert the data gathered during the logical design
phase into a description of the physical database structure. Physical design decisions are mainly
driven by query performance and database maintenance aspects. For example, choosing a
partitioning strategy that meets common query requirements enables Oracle Database to take
advantage of partition pruning, a way of narrowing a search before performing it.
Comparison between Logical and Physical Design:
During the logical design phase, you defined a model for your data warehouse consisting of
entities, attributes, and relationships. The entities are linked together using relationships.
Attributes are used to describe the entities. The unique identifier (UID) distinguishes between
one instance of an entity and another.
Logical Design Physical Design

Entity Table
Relationship Foreign Key
Attribute Column
Unique Identifier Primary Key
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Figure 1 Logical Design Compared with Physical Design
5.3. DBMS - Storage System

Databases are stored in file formats, which contain records. At physical level, the actual data is stored in
electromagnetic format on some device. These storage devices can be broadly categorized into three
types:-
 Primary Storage − The memory storage that is directly accessible to the CPU comes
under this category. CPU's internal memory (registers), fast memory (cache), and main
memory (RAM) are directly accessible to the CPU, as they are all placed on the
motherboard or CPU chipset. This storage is typically very small, ultra-fast, and volatile.
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Primary storage requires continuous power supply in order to maintain its state. In case of
a power failure, all its data is lost.
 Secondary Storage − Secondary storage devices are used to store data for future use or
as backup. Secondary storage includes memory devices that are not a part of the CPU
chipset or motherboard, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks (DVD, CD, etc.), hard
disks, flash drives, and magnetic tapes.
 Tertiary Storage − Tertiary storage is used to store huge volumes of data. Since such
storage devices are external to the computer system, they are the slowest in speed. These
storage devices are mostly used to take the back up of an entire system. Optical disks and
magnetic tapes are widely used as tertiary storage.
5.4. DBMS - File Structure

Relative data and information is stored collectively in file formats. A file is a sequence of records
stored in binary format. A disk drive is formatted into several blocks that can store records. File
records are mapped onto those disk blocks.
5.5. File Organization

File Organization defines how file records are mapped onto disk blocks. We have four types of
File Organization to organize file records −
5.5.1. Heap File Organization
When a file is created using Heap File Organization, the Operating System allocates memory
area to that file without any further accounting details. File records can be placed anywhere in
that memory area. It is the responsibility of the software to manage the records. Heap File does
not support any ordering, sequencing, or indexing on its own.
5.5.2. Sequential File Organization
Every file record contains a data field (attribute) to uniquely identify that record. In sequential
file organization, records are placed in the file in some sequential order based on the unique key
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field or search key. Practically, it is not possible to store all the records sequentially in physical
form.
Hash File Organization
Hash File Organization uses Hash function computation on some fields of the records. The
output of the hash function determines the location of disk block where the records are to be
placed.
Clustered File Organization
Clustered file organization is not considered good for large databases. In this mechanism, related
records from one or more relations are kept in the same disk block, that is, the ordering of
records is not based on primary key or search key.
File Operations
Operations on database files can be broadly classified into two categories −

 Update Operations
 Retrieval Operations
Update operations change the data values by insertion, deletion, or update. Retrieval operations,
on the other hand, do not alter the data but retrieve them after optional conditional filtering. In
both types of operations, selection plays a significant role. Other than creation and deletion of a
file, there could be several operations, which can be done on files.
 Open − A file can be opened in one of the two modes, read mode or write mode. In read
mode, the operating system does not allow anyone to alter data. In other words, data is
read only. Files opened in read mode can be shared among several entities. Write mode
allows data modification. Files opened in write mode can be read but cannot be shared.
 Locate − Every file has a file pointer, which tells the current position where the data is to
be read or written. This pointer can be adjusted accordingly. Using find (seek) operation,
it can be moved forward or backward.
 Read − By default, when files are opened in read mode, the file pointer points to the
beginning of the file. There are options where the user can tell the operating system where
to locate the file pointer at the time of opening a file. The very next data to the file pointer
is read.
 Write − User can select to open a file in write mode, which enables them to edit its
contents. It can be deletion, insertion, or modification. The file pointer can be located at
the time of opening or can be dynamically changed if the operating system allows to do
so.
 Close − This is the most important operation from the operating system’s point of view.
When a request to close a file is generated, the operating system
o removes all the locks (if in shared mode),
o saves the data (if altered) to the secondary storage media, and
o releases all the buffers and file handlers associated with the file.
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The organization of data inside a file plays a major role here. The process to locate the file
pointer to a desired record inside a file various based on whether the records are arranged
sequentially or clustered.
5.6. DBMS - Indexing

We know that data is stored in the form of records. Every record has a key field, which helps it to
be recognized uniquely.
Indexing is a data structure technique to efficiently retrieve records from the database files based
on some attributes on which the indexing has been done. Indexing in database systems is similar
to what we see in books.
Indexing is defined based on its indexing attributes. Indexing can be of the following types −
 Primary Index − Primary index is defined on an ordered data file. The data file is
ordered on a key field. The key field is generally the primary key of the relation.
 Secondary Index − Secondary index may be generated from a field which is a candidate
key and has a unique value in every record, or a non-key with duplicate values.
 Clustering Index − Clustering index is defined on an ordered data file. The data file is
ordered on a non-key field.
Ordered Indexing is of two types −
I. Dense Index
II. Sparse Index
I. Dense Index
In dense index, there is an index record for every search key value in the database. This makes
searching faster but requires more space to store index records itself. Index records contain
search key value and a pointer to the actual record on the disk.
II. Sparse Index
In sparse index, index records are not created for every search key. An index record here
contains a search key and an actual pointer to the data on the disk. To search a record, we first
proceed by index record and reach at the actual location of the data. If the data we are looking for
is not where we directly reach by following the index, then the system starts sequential search
until the desired data is found.
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Multilevel Index
Index records comprise search-key values and data pointers. Multilevel index is stored on the
disk along with the actual database files. As the size of the database grows, so does the size of
the indices. There is an immense need to keep the index records in the main memory so as to
speed up the search operations. If single-level index is used, then a large size index cannot be
kept in memory which leads to multiple disk accesses.
Multi-level Index helps in breaking down the index into several smaller indices in order to make
the outermost level so small that it can be saved in a single disk block, which can easily be
accommodated anywhere in the main memory.
B+ Tree
A B+ tree is a balanced binary search tree that follows a multi-level index format. The leaf nodes
of a B+ tree denote actual data pointers. B+ tree ensures that all leaf nodes remain at the same
height, thus balanced. Additionally, the leaf nodes are linked using a link list; therefore, a B+ tree
can support random access as well as sequential access.
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Structure of B+ Tree
Every leaf node is at equal distance from the root node. A B+ tree is of the order n where n is
fixed for every B+ tree.
Internal nodes −
 Internal (non-leaf) nodes contain at least ⌈n/2⌉ pointers, except the root node.
 At most, an internal node can contain n pointers.
Leaf nodes −
 Leaf nodes contain at least ⌈n/2⌉ record pointers and ⌈n/2⌉ key values.
 At most, a leaf node can contain n record pointers and n key values.
 Every leaf node contains one block pointer P to point to next leaf node and forms a linked list.
B+ Tree Insertion
 B+ trees are filled from bottom and each entry is done at the leaf node.
 If a leaf node overflows −
o Split node into two parts.
o Partition at i = ⌊(m+1)/2⌋.
o First i entries are stored in one node.
o Rest of the entries (i+1 onwards) are moved to a new node.
o ith key is duplicated at the parent of the leaf.
 If a non-leaf node overflows −
o Split node into two parts.
o Partition the node at i = ⌈(m+1)/2⌉.
o Entries up to i are kept in one node.
o Rest of the entries are moved to a new node.
B+ Tree Deletion
 B+ tree entries are deleted at the leaf nodes.

 The target entry is searched and deleted.
o If it is an internal node, delete and replace with the entry from the left position.
 After deletion, underflow is tested,
o If underflow occurs, distribute the entries from the nodes left to it.
 If distribution is not possible from left, then
o Distribute from the nodes right to it.
 If distribution is not possible from left or from right, then
o Merge the node with left and right to it.
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5.7. DBMS - Hashing

For a huge database structure, it can be almost next to impossible to search all the index values
through all its level and then reach the destination data block to retrieve the desired data.
Hashing is an effective technique to calculate the direct location of a data record on the disk
without using index structure.
Hashing uses hash functions with search keys as parameters to generate the address of a data
record.
Hash Organization
 Bucket − A hash file stores data in bucket format. Bucket is considered a unit of storage.
A bucket typically stores one complete disk block, which in turn can store one or more
records.
 Hash Function − A hash function, h, is a mapping function that maps all the set of
search-keys K to the address where actual records are placed. It is a function from search
keys to bucket addresses.
Static Hashing
In static hashing, when a search-key value is provided, the hash function always computes the
same address. For example, if mod-4 hash function is used, then it shall generate only 5 values.
The output address shall always be same for that function. The number of buckets provided
remains unchanged at all times.
Operation
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 Insertion − When a record is required to be entered using static hash, the hash
function h computes the bucket address for search key K, where the record will be stored.
Bucket address = h(K)
 Search − When a record needs to be retrieved, the same hash function can be used to
retrieve the address of the bucket where the data is stored.
 Delete − This is simply a search followed by a deletion operation.
Bucket Overflow
The condition of bucket-overflow is known as collision. This is a fatal state for any static hash
function. In this case, overflow chaining can be used.
 Overflow Chaining − When buckets are full, a new bucket is allocated for the same hash
result and is linked after the previous one. This mechanism is called Closed Hashing.
 Linear Probing − When a hash function generates an address at which data is already
stored, the next free bucket is allocated to it. This mechanism is called Open Hashing.
Dynamic Hashing
The problem with static hashing is that it does not expand or shrink dynamically as the size of
the database grows or shrinks. Dynamic hashing provides a mechanism in which data buckets are
added and removed dynamically and on-demand. Dynamic hashing is also known as extended
hashing.
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Hash function, in dynamic hashing, is made to produce a large number of values and only a few
are used initially.
Organization
The prefix of an entire hash value is taken as a hash index. Only a portion of the hash value is
used for computing bucket addresses. Every hash index has a depth value to signify how many
bits are used for computing a hash function. These bits can address 2n buckets. When all these
bits are consumed − that is, when all the buckets are full − then the depth value is increased
linearly and twice the buckets are allocated.
Operation
 Querying − Look at the depth value of the hash index and use those bits to compute the
bucket address.
 Update − Perform a query as above and update the data.
 Deletion − Perform a query to locate the desired data and delete the same.
 Insertion − Compute the address of the bucket
o If the bucket is already full.
 Add more buckets.
 Add additional bits to the hash value.
 Re-compute the hash function.
o Else
 Add data to the bucket,
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o If all the buckets are full, perform the remedies of static hashing.
Hashing is not favorable when the data is organized in some ordering and the queries require a
range of data. When data is discrete and random, hash performs the best.
Hashing algorithms have high complexity than indexing. All hash operations are done in
constant time.
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CHAPTER SIX
6. Query Languages
6.1. Introduction
We cover in this chapter the different kinds of queries normally posed to text retrieval systems.
This is in part dependent on the retrieval model the system adopts, i.e., a full-text system will not
answer the same kinds of queries as those answered by a system based on keyword ranking (as
Web search engines) or on a hypertext model. in this chapter we show which queries can be
formulated. The type of query the user might formulate is largely dependent on the underlying
information retrieval model. An important issue is that most query languages try to use the
content (i.e., the semantics) and the structure of the text (I.e., the text syntax) to find relevant
documents. In that sense, the system may fail to find the relevant answers (see Chapter 3). For
this reason, a number of techniques meant to enhance the usefulness of the queries exist.
Examples include the expansion of a word to the set of its synonyms or the use of a thesaurus
and stemming to 99 100 QUERY LANGUAGES put together all the derivatives of the same
word.
Moreover, some words which are very frequent and do not carry meaning (such as ‘the’), called
stopwords, and may be removed. Here we assume that all the query preprocessing has already
been done. Although these operations are usually done for information retrieval, many of them
can also be useful in a data retrieval context. When we want to emphasize the difference between
words that can be retrieved by a query and those which cannot, we call the former ‘keywords.’
Orthogonal to the kind of queries that can be asked is the subject of the retrieval unit the
information system adopts. The retrieval unit is the basic element which can be retrieved as an
answer to a query (normally a set of such basic elements is retrieved, sometimes ranked by
relevance or other criterion). The retrieval unit can be a file, a document, a Web page, a
paragraph,
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or some other structural unit which contains an answer to the search query. From this point on,
we will simply call those retrieval units ‘documents,’ although as explained this can have
different meanings.
This chapter. is organized as follows. We first show the queries that can be formulated with
keyword-based query languages. They are aimed at information retrieval, including simple
words and phrases as well as Boolean operators which manipulate sets of documents.
In the second section we cover pattern matching, which includes more complex queries and is
generally aimed at complementing keyword searching with more powerful data retrieval
capabilities. Third, we cover querying on the structure of the text, which is more dependent on
the particular text model. Finally, we finish with some standard protocols used on the Internet
and by CD-ROM publishers.
6.2. Query Languages
What Does Query Language Mean?
Query language (QL) refers to any computer programming language that requests and retrieves
data from database and information systems by sending queries. It works on user entered
structured and formal programming command based queries to find and extract data from host
databases. Query language may also be termed database query language.
A query languages, also known as data query language or database query language (DQL), is
a computer language used to make queries in databases and information systems. A well known
example is the Structured Query Language (SQL).
Query language is primarily created for creating, accessing and modifying data in and out from a
database management system (DBMS). Typically, QL requires users to input a structured
command that is similar and close to the English language querying construct.
For example, the SQL query: SELECT * FROM
The customer will retrieve all data from the customer records/table.
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The simple programming context makes it one of the easiest programming languages to learn.
There are several different variants of QL and it has wide implementation in various database-
centered services such as extracting data from deductive and OLAP databases, providing API
based access to remote applications and services and more.
Broadly, query languages can be classified according to whether they are database query
languages or information retrieval query languages. The difference is that a database query
language attempts to give factual answers to factual questions, while an information retrieval
query language attempts to find documents containing information that is relevant to an area of
inquiry.
6.3 Relational Algebra
The relational algebra is a theoretical language with operations that work on one or more
relations to define another relation without changing the original relation(s). Thus both the
operands and the results are relations, and so the output from one operation can become the input
to another operation. This ability allows expressions to be nested in the relational algebra, just as
we can nest arithmetic operations. This property is called closure: relations are closed under the
algebra, just as numbers are closed under arithmetic operations.
The relational algebra is a relation-at-a-time (or set) language in which all tuples, possibly from
several relations, are manipulated in one statement without looping. There are many variations of
the operations that are included in relational algebra. The five fundamental operations in
relational algebra—Selection, Projection, Cartesian product, Union, and Set difference—perform
most of the data retrieval operations that we are interested in. In addition, there are also the Join,
Intersection, and Division operations, which can be expressed in terms of the five basic
operations.
The Selection and Projection operations are unary operations, as they operate on one relation.
The other operations work on pairs of relations and are therefore called binary operations. In the
following definitions, let R and S be two relations defined over the attributes A = (a1, a2, … ,
aN) and B = (b1, b2, … , bM), respectively. Use the following figures for the examples in this
chapter.
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6.1.1. Unary Operations Selection (σ predicate (R))
The Selection operation works on a single relation R and defines a relation that contains only
those tuples of R that satisfy the specified condition (predicate).
Example 6.1: List all staff with a salary greater than 10000 birr. σ salary > 10000 (Staff )
Here, the input relation is Staff and the predicate is salary > 10000. The Selection operation
defines a relation containing only those Staff tuples with a salary greater than 10000 birr. The
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result of this operation is shown in Figure 6.2. More complex predicates can be generated using
the logical operators (AND), (OR), and ~ (NOT).
Projection (π a1 … an (R) )
The Projection operation works on a single relation R and defines a relation that contains a
vertical subset of R, extracting the values of specified attributes and eliminating duplicates.
Example 6.2: Produce a list of salaries for all staff, showing only the staffNo, fName, IName,
and salary details.
π staffNo, fName, IName, salary ( Staff ) In this example, the Projection

operation defines a relation that contains only the designated Staff attributes staffNo, fName,
IName, and salary, in the specified order. The result of this operation is shown in Figure 6.3
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6.1.2. Set Operations
The Selection and Projection operations extract information from only one relation. There are
obviously cases where we would like to combine information from several relations. In the
remainder of this section, we examine the binary operations of the relational algebra, starting
with the set operations of Union, Set difference, Intersection, and Cartesian product.
Union ( R U S ).
The union of two relations R and S defines a relation that contains all the tuples of R, or S, or
both R and S, duplicate tuples being eliminated. R and S must be union-compatible.
If R and S have I and J tuples, respectively, their union is obtained by concatenating them into
one relation with a maximum of (I + J) tuples. Union is possible only if the schemas of the two
relations match, that is, if they have the same number of attributes with each pair of
corresponding attributes having the same domain. In other words, the relations must be union-
compatible. Note that attributes names are not used in defining union-compatibility. In some
cases, the Projection operation may be used to make two relations union-compatible.
Example 6.3: List all cities where there is either a branch office or a property for rent.
Pcity ( Branch ) U Pcity ( PropertyForRent )
To produce union-compatible relations, we first use Projection operation to project the Branch
and PropertyForRent relations over the attribute city , eliminating duplicates where necessary.
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We then use the Union operation to combine these new relations to produce the result shown in
Figure 6.4.
Set difference ( R – S )
The Set difference operation defines a relation consisting of the tuples that are in relation R, but
not in S. R and S must be union-compatible.
Example 6.4: List all cities where there is a branch office but no properties for rent. π city (
Branch ) – π city ( PropertyForRent )
As in the previous example, we produce union-compatible relations by projecting the Branch and
PropertyForRent relations over the attribute city . We then use the Set difference operation to
combine these new relations to produce the result shown in Figure 6.5.
Intersection ( R ∩ S )
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The Intersection operation defines a relation consisting of the set of all tuples that are in both R
and S. R and S must be union-compatible.
Example 6.5: List all cities where there is both a branch office and at least one property for rent.
π city ( Branch ) ∩ π city ( PropertyForRent )
As in the previous example, we produce union-compatible relations by projecting the Branch

and PropertyForRent relations over the attribute city . We then use the Intersection operation to
combine these new relations to produce the result shown in Figure 6.6.
Note that we can express the Intersection operation in terms of the Set difference
operation: R ∩ S = R – (R – S
Figure 6.6. Intersection based on city attribute from the Branch and PropertyForRent relations.
Cartesian product (R x S)
The Cartesian product operation defines a relation that is the concatenation of every tuple of
relation R with every tuple of relation S.
The Cartesian product operation multiplies two relations to define another relation consisting of
all possible pairs of tuples from the two relations. Therefore, if one relation has I tuples and N
attributes and the other has J tuples and M attributes, Cartesian product relation will contain (I *
J) tuples with (N + M) attributes. It is possible that the two relations may have attributes with the
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same name. In this case, the attribute names are prefixed with the relation name to maintain the
uniqueness of attribute names within a relation.
Example 6.6: List the names and comments of all clients who have viewed a property for rent.
The names of clients are held in the Client relation and the details of viewings are held in the
Viewing relation. To obtain the list of clients and the comments on properties they have viewed,
we need to combine these two relations:
(π clientNo, fName, IName ( Client )) X ( π clientNo, propertyNo, comment (

Viewing ))
The result of this operation is shown in Figure 6.7. In its present form, this relation contains more
information than we require. For example, the first tuple of this relation contains different
clientNo values. To obtain the required list, we need to carry out a Selection operation on this
relation to extract those tuples where Client.clientNo = Viewing.clientNo.
The complete operation is thus:
σ Client.clientNo = Viewing.clientNo ((π clientNo, fName, IName (Client)) X ( π clientNo,

propertyNo, comment (Viewing)) The result of this operation is shown in Figure 6.8
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Figure 6.7. Cartesian product of reduced Client and Viewing relations
6.3.4. Aggregation and Grouping Operations
As well as simply retrieving certain tuples and attributes of one or more relations, we often want
to perform some form of summation or aggregation of data, similar to the totals at the bottom of
a report, or some form of grouping of data, similar to subtotals in a report. These operations
cannot be performed using the basic relational algebra operations considered earlier. However,
additional operations have been proposed, as we now discuss.
Aggregate operations ( AL(R) )
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Applies the aggregate function list, AL, to the relation R to define a relation over the aggregate
list.
AL contains one or more (<aggregate_function>, <attribute>) pairs.
The main aggregate functions are:
 COUNT – returns the number of values in the associated attribute.

 SUM – returns the sum of the values in the associated attribute.
 AVG – returns the average of the values in the associated attribute.
 MIN – returns the smallest value in the associated attribute.
 MAX – returns the largest value in the associated attribute.
Example 6.9: (a) How many properties cost more than £350 per month to rent? We can use the
aggregate function COUNT to produce the relation R shown in Figure 6.10(a):
ρR ( myCount ) COUNT propertyNo ( σ rent > 350 ( PropertyForRent ))
(b) Find the minimum, maximum, and average staff salary.
We can use the aggregate functions—MIN, MAX, and AVERAGE—to produce the relation R
shown in Figure 5.10(b) as follows
ρR ( myMin , myMax , myAverage ) MIN salary, MAX salary, AVERAGE salary ( Staff )
Figure 6.10. Result of the Aggregate operations: (a) finding the number of properties whose rent
is greater than £350; (b) finding the minimum, maximum, and average staff salary.
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Grouping operation ( GA GL (R) )
Groups the tuples of relation R by the grouping attributes, GA, and then applies the aggregate
function list AL to define a new relation. AL contains one or more (<aggregate_function>,
<attribute>) pairs. The resulting relation contains the grouping attributes, GA, along with the
results of each of the aggregate functions.
The general form of the grouping operation is as follows:
a1 , a2 , … , an <Apap>, <Aqaq>, … , <Azaz> (R)
where R is any relation, a1 , a2 , … , an are attributes of R on which to group, ap , aq , … , az are

other attributes of R, and Ap , Aq , … , Az are aggregate functions.
The tuples of R are partitioned into groups such that:
 all tuples in a group have the same value for a1 , a2 , … , an;

 tuples in different groups have different values for a1 , a2 , … , an.
We illustrate the use of the grouping operation with the following example.
Example 6.10: Find the number of staff working in each branch and the sum of their salaries.
We first need to group tuples according to the branch number, branchNo , and then use the
aggregate functions COUNT and SUM to produce the required relation. The relational algebra
expression is as follows:
ρR ( branchNo , myCount , mySum ) branchNo COUNT staffNo, SUM salary ( Staff )
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The resulting relation is shown in Figure 5.11.
Figure 6.11. Result of the grouping operation to find the number of staff working in each branch
and the sum of their salaries.
6.4. Relational calculus
A certain order is always explicitly specified in a relational algebra expression and a strategy for
evaluating the query is implied. In the relational calculus, there is no description of how to
evaluate a query; a relational calculus query specifies what is to be retrieved rather than how to
retrieve it.
The relational calculus is not related to differential and integral calculus in mathematics, but
takes its name from a branch of symbolic logic called predicate calculus. When applied to
databases, it is found in two forms: tuple relational calculus, as originally proposed by Codd,
and domain relational calculus, as proposed by Lacroix and Pirotte.
In first-order logic or predicate calculus, a predicate is a truth-valued function with arguments.

When we substitute values for the arguments, the function yields an expression, called
a proposition, which can be either true or false. For example, the sentences, ―John White is a
member of staff‖ and ―John White earns more than Ann Beech‖ are both propositions, because
we can determine whether they are true or false. In the first case, we have a function, ―is a
member of staff,‖ with one argument (John White); in the second case, we have a function,
―earns more than,‖ with two arguments (John White and Ann Beech).
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If a predicate contains a variable, as in ―x is a member of staff,‖ there must be an associated

range for x. When we substitute some values of this range for x, the proposition may be true; for
other values, it may be false. For example, if the range is the set of all people and we replace x
by John White, the proposition ―John White is a member of staff‖ is true. If we replace x by the
name of a person who is not a member of staff, the proposition is false.
If P is a predicate, then we can write the set of all x such that P is true for x, as:
{x | P(x)}
We may connect predicates by the logical connectives (AND), (OR), and ~ (NOT) to form
compound predicates.
2.1. Tuple Relational Calculus
In the tuple relational calculus, we are interested in finding tuples for which a predicate is true.
The calculus is based on the use of tuple variables. A tuple variable is a variable that ―ranges
over‖ a named relation: that is, a variable whose only permitted values are tuples of the relation.
(The word ―range‖ here does not correspond to the mathematical use of range, but corresponds
to a mathematical domain.) For example, to specify the range of a tuple variable S as the Staff
relation, we write:
Staff(S)
To express the query ―Find the set of all tuples S such that F(S) is true,‖ we can write:
{S | F(S)}
F is called a formula (well-formed formula, or wff in mathematical logic). For example, to

express the query ―Find the staffNo , fName , IName , position , sex , DOB , salary , and
branchNo of all staff earning more than £10,000,‖ we can write:
{S | Staff(S) Ù S.salary > 10000 }
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S.salary means the value of the salary attribute for the tuple variable S. To retrieve a particular
attribute, such as salary , we would write:
{S.salary | Staff(S) Ù S.salary > 10000 }
The existential and universal quantifiers
There are two quantifiers we can use with formulae to tell how many instances the predicate
applies to. The existential quantifier $ (―there exists‖) is used in formulae that must be true for
at least one instance, such as:
Staff(S) ( $B) (Branch(B) (B.branchNo = S.branchNo) B.city = ‗London‘ )
This means, ―There exists a Branch tuple that has the same branchNo as the branchNo of the
current Staff tuple, S, and is located in London.‖ The universal quantifier ” (―for all‖) is used in
statements about every instance, such as:
(“B) (B.city ≠ ‗Paris‘)
This means, ―For all Branch tuples, the address is not in Paris.‖ We can apply a generalization
of De Morgan‘s laws to the existential and universal quantifiers. For example:
($X)(F(X)) ~ (“X)(~(F(X)))
(“X)(F(X)) ~ ($X)(~(F(X)))
($X)(F1 (X) F2 (X)) ~ (“X)(~(F1 (X)) ~ (F2 (X)))
(“X)(F1 (X) F2 (X)) ~ ($X)(~(F1(X)) ~ (F2 (X)))
Using these equivalence rules, we can rewrite the previous formula as:
~ ($B) (B.city = ‗Paris‘ )
which means, ―There are no branches with an address in Paris.‖
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Tuple variables that are qualified by $ or ” are called bound variables; the other tuple variables
are called free variables. The only free variables in a relational calculus expression should be
those on the left side of the bar (|). For example, in the following query:
{S.fName, S.lName | Staff(S) ($B) (Branch(B) (B.branchNo = S.branchNo) Ù B.city =

‗London‘ )}
S is the only free variable and S is then bound successively to each tuple of Staff .
6.5. Introduction to SQL
Objectives of SQL
Ideally, a database language should allow a user to:
 create the database and relation structures;

 perform basic data management tasks, such as the insertion, modification, and deletion of data from the
relations;
 perform both simple and complex queries.
A database language must perform these tasks with minimal user effort, and its command
structure and syntax must be relatively easy to learn. Finally, the language must be portable; that
is, it must conform to some recognized standard so that we can use the same command structure
and syntax when we move from one DBMS to another. SQL is intended to satisfy these
requirements.
SQL is an example of a transform-oriented language, or a language designed to use relations to

transform inputs into required outputs. As a language, the ISO SQL standard has two major
components:
 Data Definition Language (DDL) for defining the database structure and controlling access to the data;
 Data Manipulation Language (DML) for retrieving and updating data.
Until the 1999 release of the standard, known as SQL:1999 or SQL3, SQL contained only these
definitional and manipulative commands; it did not contain flow of control commands, such as
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IF . . . THEN . . . ELSE, GO TO, or DO . . . WHILE. These commands had to be implemented

using a programming or job-control language, or interactively by the decisions of the user.
Owing to this lack of computational completeness, SQL can be used in two ways. The first way
is to use SQL interactively by entering the statements at a terminal. The second way is to embed
SQL statements in a procedural language. We also SQL is a relatively easy language to learn:
It is a nonprocedural language; you specify what information you require, rather than how to get it. In
other words, SQL does not require you to specify the access methods to the data. Like most modern
languages, SQL is essentially free-format, which means that parts of statements do not have to be typed at
particular locations on the screen. The command structure consists of standard English words such as
CREATE TABLE, INSERT, SELECT.
For example:
CREATE TABLE Staff ( staffNo VARCHAR(5), IName VARCHAR(15), salary
DECIMAL(7,2));
INSERT INTO Staff VALUES (‗SG16‘, ‗Brown‘, 8300);
SELECT staffNo , IName , salary FROM Staff WHERE salary > 10000;
SQL can be used by a range of users including database administrators (DBA), management personnel,
application developers, and many other types of end-user. An international standard now .exists for the
SQL language making it both the formal and de facto standard language for defining and manipulating
relational databases.
Importance of SQL
SQL is the first and, so far, only standard database language to gain wide acceptance. The only
other standard database language, the Network Database Language (NDL), based on the
CODASYL network model, has few followers. Nearly every major current vendor provides
database products based on SQL or with an SQL interface, and most are represented on at least
one of the standard-making bodies.
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There is a huge investment in the SQL language both by vendors and by users. It has become
part of application architectures such as IBM‘s Systems Application Architecture (SAA) and is
the strategic choice of many large and influential organizations, for example, the Open Group
consortium for UNIX standards. SQL has also become a Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) to which conformance is required for all sales of DBMSs to the U.S.
government. The SQL Access Group, a consortium of vendors, defined a set of enhancements to
SQL that would support interoperability across disparate systems.
SQL is used in other standards and even influences the development of other standards as a
definitional tool. Examples include ISO‘s Information Resource Dictionary System (IRDS)
standard and Remote Data Access (RDA) standard. The development of the language is
supported by considerable academic interest, providing both a theoretical basis for the language
and the techniques needed to implement it successfully. This is especially true in query
optimization, distribution of data, and security. There are now specialized implementations of
SQL that are directed at new markets, such as OnLine Analytical Processing (OLAP).
Terminology
The ISO SQL standard does not use the formal terms of relations, attributes, and tuples, instead
using the terms tables, columns, and rows.
6.5.1. Writing SQL Commands
An SQL statement consists of reserved words and user-defined words. Reserved words are a
fixed part of the SQL language and have a fixed meaning. They must be spelled exactly as
required and cannot be split across lines. User-defined words are made up by the user (according
to certain syntax rules) and represent the names of various database objects such as tables,
columns, views, indexes, and so on. The words in a statement are also built according to a set of
syntax rules. Although the standard does not require it, many dialects of SQL require the use of a
statement terminator to mark the end of each SQL statement (usually the semicolon ―;‖ is used).
Most components of an SQL statement are case-insensitive, which means that letters can be
typed in either upper- or lowercase. The one important exception to this rule is that literal
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character data must be typed exactly as it appears in the database. For example, if we store a
person‘s surname as ―SMITH‖ and then search for it using the string ―Smith,‖ the row will not
be found.
Although SQL is free-format, an SQL statement or set of statements is more readable if

indentation and lineation are used. For example:
 each clause in a statement should begin on a new line;

 the beginning of each clause should line up with the beginning of other clauses;
 if a clause has several parts, they should each appear on a separate line and be indented under the start of
the clause to show the relationship.
Throughout this and the next three chapters, we use the following extended form of the Backus
Naur Form (BNF) notation to define SQL statements:
 uppercase letters are used to represent reserved words and must be spelled exactly as shown;
 lowercase letters are used to represent user-defined words;
 a vertical bar ( | ) indicates a choice among alternatives; for example, a | b | c;
 curly braces indicate a required element; for example, {a};
 square brackets indicate an optional element; for example, [a];
 an ellipsis (. . .) is used to indicate optional repetition of an item zero or more times.
For example:
{a|b} (, c . . .) means either a or b followed by zero or more repetitions of c separated by

commas.
In practice, the DDL statements are used to create the database structure (that is, the tables) and
the access mechanisms (that is, what each user can legally access), and then the DML statements
are used to populate and query the tables.
6.5.2. SQL Data Definition and Data Types
SQL uses the terms table, row, and column for the formal relational model terms relation, tuple,
and attribute, respectively. We will use the corresponding terms interchangeably. The main SQL
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command for data definition is the CREATE statement, which can be used to create schemas,
tables (relations), and domains (as well as other constructs such as views, assertions, and
triggers).
The Create Table Command in SQL
The CREATE TABLE command is used to specify a new relation by giving it a name and
specifying its attributes and initial constraints. The attributes are specified first, and each
attribute is given a name, a data type to specify its domain of values, and any attribute
constraints, such as NOT NULL. The key, entity integrity, and referential integrity constraints
can be specified within the CREATE TABLE statement after the attributes are declared, or they
can be added later using the ALTER TABLE command.
Create Table Employee (Fname varchar (20), Lname varchar (20), ID int primary key, Bdate
varchar (20), Address varchar (20), Sex char, Salary decimal, SuperID int foreign key references
Employee (ID))
Create Table Department (DName Varchar (15), Dnumber Int primary key, MgrID int foreign
key references employee (ID), Mgrstartdate varchar (20))
Create table Dept_Locations (Dnumber Int, Dlocation Varchar (15), Primary Key (Dnumber,
Dlocation) , Foreign Key(Dnumber) References Department(Dnumber) )
Create table project (Pname Varchar (15), Pnumber Int primary key, Plocation Varchar (15),
Dnum Int foreign key references Department (Dnumber))
Create table works_On (EID int, Pno Int, Hours Decimal (3, 1), Primary Key (EID,
Pno), Foreign Key (EID) References Employee (ID), Foreign Key(Pno) References,
project(Pnumber) )
Create table dependent (EID int, Dependent_Name Varchar (15), Sex Char, Bdate Date,
Relationship Varchar (8), Primary Key(EID, Dependent_Name), Foreign

Key(EID) References Employee(ID) )
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Inserting Values into the Table
In its simplest form, INSERT is used to add a single tuple to a relation. We must specify the
relation name and a list of values for the tuple. The values should be listed in the same order in
which the corresponding attributes were specified in the CREATE TABLE command. For
example, to add a new tuple to the EMPLOYEE, Department, Project, Works_On,
Dept_Locations, and Dependent are shown below
insert into employee values

(‘sara’,’girma’,19,’12/2/2004′,’hossana’,’F’,’1000′,’19’) insert into employee values
(‘selam’,’john’,15,’12/2/1997′,‘hossana’,’F’,’1000′,’19’) insert into department values
(‘computer scien’,19,19,’12/2/2004′) insert into department values
(‗Mathematics’,11,19,’12/2/2004′) insert into project values
(‘reaearch’,1,’hossana’,19) insert into project values (‘reaearch’,1,’hossana’,19)
When you are inserting values into the table department the value that you insert to the MgrID
should exist in the employee table ID because it references employee ID. Similar concept will be
applied in the entire table that references another table.
Schema Change Statements in SQL
In this section, we give an overview of the schema evolution commands available in SQL, which
can be used to alter a schema by adding or dropping tables, attributes, constraints, and other
schema elements.
The DROP Command
The DROP command can be used to drop named schema elements, such as tables, domains, or
constraints. One can also drop a schema. For example, if a whole schema is not needed any
more, the DROP SCHEMA command can be used. For example, to remove the COMPANY
database and all its tables, domains, and other elements, it is used as follows:
Drop Database Company
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In order to drop the table employee from company database we use the following command
Drop table employee
The ALTER Command
The definition of a base table or of other named schema elements can be changed by using the
ALTER command. For base tables, the possible alter table actions include adding or dropping a
column (attribute), changing a column definition, and adding or dropping table constraints. For
example, to add an attribute for keeping track of jobs of employees to the EMPLOYEE base
relations in the COMPANY schema, we can use the command
Alter Table employee Add Job Varchar (12)
We must still enter a value for the new attribute JOB for each individual EMPLOYEE tuple.
This can be done either by specifying a default clause or by using the UPDATE command If no
default clause is specified, the new attribute will have NULLs in all the tuples of the relation
immediately after the command is executed; hence, the NOT NULL constraint is not allowed in
this case.
To drop a column, we must choose either CASCADE or RESTRICT for drop behavior. If
CASCADE is chosen, all constraints and views that reference the column are dropped
automatically from the schema, along with the column. If RESTRICT is chosen, the command is
successful only if no views or constraints (or other elements) reference the column. For example,
the following command removes the attribute ADDRESS from the EMPLOYEE base table:
Alter Table Employee Drop column Address
It is also possible to alter a column definition by dropping an existing default clause or by

defining a new default clause. The following examples illustrate this clause:
Alter Table Employee Alter Job Drop DEFAULT;
Alter Table Employee Alter Job Set Default “333445555”;
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The DELETE Command
The DELETE command removes tuples from a relation. It includes a WHERE clause, similar to
that used in an SQL query, to select the tuples to be deleted. Tuples are explicitly deleted from
only one table at a time. However, the deletion may propagate to tuples in other relations
if referential triggered actions are specified in the referential integrity constraints. Depending on
the number of tuples selected by the condition in the WHERE clause, zero, one, or several tuples
can be deleted by a single DELETE command. A missing WHERE clause specifies that all
tuples in the relation are to be deleted; however the table remains in the database as an empty
table. The DELETE commands in Q4A to Q4D
Q4A: DELETE FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE LNAME=’Brown’
Q4B: DELETE FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE ID=’12’
Q4C: DELETE FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNO IN (SELECT DNUMBER FROM DEPARTMENT
WHERE DNAME=’Research’) Q4D: DELETE FROM EMPLOYEE
The UPDATE Command
The UPDATE command is used to modify attribute values of one or more selected tuples. As in
the DELETE command, a WHERE clause in the UPDATE command selects the tuples to be
modified from a single relation. However, updating a primary key value may propagate to the
foreign key values of tuples in other relations if such a referential triggered action is specified in
the referential integrity constraints. An additional SET clause in the UPDATE command
specifies the attributes to be modified and their new values. For example, to change the location
and controlling department number of project number 10 to ‘Bellaire’ and 5, respectively, we use
U5:
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U5: UPDATE PROJECT
SET PLOCATION = ‘Bellaire’, DNUM = 5
WHERE PNUMBER=10;
Several tuples can be modified with a single UPDATE command. An example is to give all
employees in the ‘Research’ department a 10 percent raise in salary, as shown in U6. In this
request, the modified SALARY value depends on the original SALARY value in each tuple, so
two references to the SALARY attribute are needed. In the SET clause, the reference to the
SALARY attribute on the right refers to the old SALARY value before modification, and the one
on the left refers to the new SALARY value after modification:
U6: UPDATE EMPLOYEE
SET SALARY = SALARY *1.1
WHERE DNO IN (SELECT DNUMBER
FROM DEPARTMENT
WHERE DNAME=’Research’);
It is also possible to specify NULL or DEFAULT as the new attribute value. Notice that each
UPDATE command explicitly refers to a single relation only. To modify multiple relations, we
must issue several UPDATE commands.
6.5.3. Basic Queries in SQL
SQL has one basic statement for retrieving information from a database: the SELECT statement.
The SELECT statement has no relationship to the SELECT operation of relational algebra,
which was discussed in Chapter 6. There are many options and flavors to the SELECT statement
in SQL, so we will introduce its features gradually.
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The SELECT-FROM-WHERE Structure of Basic SQL Queries
Queries in SQL can be very complex. We will start with simple queries, and then progress to
more complex ones in a step-by-step manner. The basic form of the SELECT statement,
sometimes called a mapping or a select-from-where block, is formed of the three clauses
SELECT, FROM, and WHERE and has the following form:
SELECT<attribute list>
FROM<table list>
WHERE<condition>
Where <attribute list> is a list of attribute names whose values are to be retrieved by the query.
<Table list> is a list of the relation names required to process the query.
<Condition> is a conditional (Boolean) expression that identifies the tuples to be retrieved by the
query.
In SQL, the basic logical comparison operators for comparing attribute values with one another
and with literal constants are =, <, <=, >, >=, and <>. SQL has many additional comparison
operators that we shall present gradually as needed.
QUERY 0: Retrieve the birth date and address of the employee whose name is ‗sara girma’.
SELECT Bdate, Address
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE FNAME=’sara’ AND LNAME=’girma’
This query involves only the EMPLOYEE relation listed in the FROM clause. The
query selects the EMPLOYEE tuples that satisfy the condition of the WHERE clause,
then projects the result on the BDATE and ADDRESS attributes listed in the SELECT clause.
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Q0 is similar to the following relational algebra expression, except that duplicates, if any,
would not be eliminated:
Π Bdate, Address (σ Fname=’ sara’ And Lname=’ girma’ (EMPLOYEE))
Hence, a simple SQL query with a single relation name in the FROM clause is similar to a
SELECT-PROJECT pair of relational algebra operations. The SELECT clause of SQL specifies
the projection attributes, and the WHERE clause specifies the selection condition. The only
difference is that in the SQL query we may get duplicate tuples in the result, because the
constraint that a relation is a set is not enforced.
QUERY1
Retrieve the name and address of all employees who work for the ‘Research’ department.
Q1:
SELECT Fname, Lname, Address
FROM EMPLOYEE, DEPARTMENT
WHERE DNAME=’Research’ AND DNUMBER=DNO
Q1 is similar to a SELECT-PROJECT-JOIN sequence of relational algebra operations. Such

queries are often called select-project-join queries. In the WHERE clause of Q1, the condition
DNAME = ‘Research’ is a selection condition and corresponds to a SELECT operation in the
relational algebra. The condition DNUMBER = DNO is a join condition, which corresponds to a
JOIN condition in the relational algebra.
In general, any number of select and join conditions may be specified in a single SQL query.
The next example is a select-project-join query with two join conditions.
QUERY2
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For every project located in ‘Stafford’, list the project number, the controlling department
number, and the department manager’s last name, address, and birth date.
Q2:
SELECT Pnumber, Dnum, Lname, Address, Bdate
FROM Project, Department, Employee
WHERE Dnum=Dnumber and MgrID=ID and Plocation=’nekemte’
The join condition DNUM = DNUMBER relates a project to its controlling department, whereas
the join condition MgrID = ID relates the controlling department to the employee who manages
that department.
Ambiguous Attribute Names, Aliasing, and Tuple Variables
In SQL the same name can be used for two (or more) attributes as long as the attributes are
in different relations. If this is the case, and a query refers to two or more attributes with the
same name, we must qualify the attribute name with the relation name to prevent ambiguity. This
is done by prefixing the relation name to the attribute name and separating the two by a period.
To illustrate this, suppose that DNO and LNAME attributes of the EMPLOYEE relation were
called DNUMBER and NAME, and the DNAME attribute of DEPARTMENT was also called
NAME; then, to prevent ambiguity, query Q1 would be rephrased as shown in Q1A. We must
prefix the attributes NAME and DNUMBER in QIA to specify which ones we are referring to,
because the attribute names are used in both relations:
Q1A:
SELECT Fname, Employee.Name, Address
FROM Employee, Department
WHERE Department. Name=’Research’ AND Department. Dnumber
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=Employee. Dnumber;
Ambiguity also arises in the case of queries that refer to the same relation twice, as in the
following example.
QUERY 8
For each employee, retrieve the employee’s first and last name and the first and last name of his
or her immediate supervisor.
Q8:
SELECT E.Fname, E.Lname, S.Fname, S. Lname
FROM EMPLOYEE AS E, EMPLOYEE AS S
WHERE E.SUPERID=S.ID
In this case, we are allowed to declare alternative relation names E and S, called aliases or tuple
variables, for the EMPLOYE E relation. An alias can follow the keyword AS, as shown in Q8, or
it can directly follow the relation name-for example, by writing EMPLOYEE E, EMPLOYEE S
in the FROM clause of Q8. It is also possible to rename the relation attributes within the query in
SQL by giving them aliases. For example, if we write EMPLOYEE AS E (FN, MI, LN, ID, SD,
ADDR, SEX, SAL, SID, DNO) in the FROM clause, FN becomes an alias for FNAME, MI for
MINH, LN for LNAME, and so on.
In Q8, we can think of E and S as two different copies of the EMPLOYEE relation; the first, E,
represents employees in the role of supervisees; the second, S, represents employees in the role
of supervisors. We can now join the two copies. Of course, in reality there is only one
EMPLOYEE relation, and the join condition is meant to join the relation with itself by matching
the tuples that satisfy the join condition E. SUPERID = S. ID. Notice that this is an example of a
one-level recursive query.
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The result of query Q8 is shown in Figure 8.3d. Whenever one or more aliases are given to a
relation, we can use these names to represent different references to that relation. This permits
multiple references to the same relation within a query. Notice that, If we want to use this alias-
naming mechanism in any SQL query to specify tuple variables for every table in the WHERE
clause, whether or not the same relation needs to be referenced more than once. In fact, this
practice is recommended since it results in queries that are easier to comprehend.
For example, we could specify query Q1A as in Q1B:
Q1B:
SELECT E.FNAME, E.NAME, E.ADDRESS
FROM EMPLOYEE E, DEPARTMENT D
WHERE D.NAME=’Research’ AND D.DNUMBER=E.DNUMBER
If we specify tuple variables for every table in the WHERE clause, a select-project-join query in
SQL closely resembles the corresponding tuple relational calculus expression (except for
duplicate elimination).
Unspecified WHERE Clause and Use of the Asterisk
We discuss two more features of SQL here. A missing WHERE clause indicates no condition on
tuple selection; hence, all tuples of the relation specified in the FROM clause qualify and are
selected for the query result. If more than one relation is specified in the FROM clause and there
is no WHERE clause, then the CROSS PRODUCT-all possible tuple combinationsof these
relations is selected. For example, Query 9 selects all EMPLOYEE ID and Query 10 selects all
combinations of an EMPLOYEE ID and a DEPARTMENT DNAME.
QUERIES 9 AND 10 : Select all EMPLOYEE ID (Q9), and all combinations of EMPLOYEE
ID and DEPARTMENT DNAME (Q10) in the database.
Q9: SELECT SSN
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FROM EMPLOYEE
Q10: SELECT SSN, DNAME
It is extremely important to specify every selection and join condition in the WHERE clause; if
any such condition is overlooked, incorrect and very large relations may result.
Notice that Q10 is similar to a CROSS PRODUCT operation followed by a PROJECT operation
in relational algebra. If we specify all the attributes of EMPLOYEE and DEPARTMENT in Ql0,
we get the CROSS PRODUCT (except for duplicate elimination, if any).
To retrieve all the attribute values of the selected tuples, we do not have to list the attribute
names explicitly in SQL; we just specify an asterisk (*), which stands for all the attributes. For
example, query Q1C retrieves all the attribute values of any EMPLOYEE who works in
DEPARTMENT number 5, query Q1D retrieves all the attributes of an EMPLOYEE and the
attributes of the DEPARTMENT in which he or she works for every employee of the ‘Research’
department, and Ql0A specifies the CROSS PRODUCT of the EMPLOYEE and
DEPARTMENT relations.
QIC:
Select *
From Employee
Where Dno=5 Q1D:
Select *
From Employee, Department
Where Dname=’Research’ and Dno=Dnumber Ql0A:
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Select *
From Employee, Department
Tables as Sets in SQL
As we mentioned earlier, SQL usually treats a table not as a set but rather as a multiset; duplicate
tuples can appear more than once in a table, and in the result of a query. SQL does not
automatically eliminate duplicate tuples in the results of queries, for the following reasons:
 Duplicate elimination is an expensive operation. One way to implement it is to sort the tuples first and
then eliminate duplicates.
 The user may want to see duplicate tuples in the result of a query.
 When an aggregate function is applied to tuples, in most cases we do not want to eliminate duplicates.
An SQL table with a key is restricted to being a set, since the key value must be distinct in each
tuple. If we do want to eliminate duplicate tuples from the result of an SQL query, we use the
keyword DISTINCT in the SELECT clause, meaning that only distinct tuples should remain in
the result. In general, a query with SELECT DISTINCT eliminates duplicates, whereas a query
with SELECT ALL does not. Specifying SELECT with neither
ALL nor DISTINCT-as in our previous examples-is equivalent to SELECT ALL. For example,
Query 11 retrieves the salary of every employee; if several employees have the same salary, that
salary value will appear as many times in the result of the query. If we are interested only in
distinct salary values, we want each value to appear only once, regardless of how many
employees earn that salary. By using the keyword DISTINCT as in Q11A. QUERY 11
Retrieve the salary of every employee (Q11) and all distinct salary values (Q11A).
Q11:
SELECT ALL SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
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Q11A:
SELECT DISTINCT SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
SQL has directly incorporated some of the set operations of relational algebra. There are set
union (UNION), set difference (EXCEPT), and set intersection (INTERSECT) operations. The
relations resulting from these set operations are sets of tuples; that is, duplicate tuples are
eliminated from the result. Because these set operations apply only to union-compatible
relations, we must make sure that the two relations on which we apply the operation have the
same attributes and that the attributes appear in the same order in both relations. The next
example illustrates the use of UNION.
QUERY 4
Make a list of all project numbers for projects that involve an employee whose last name is
‘girma’, either as a worker or as a manager of the department that controls the project.
Q4:
(SELECT DISTINCT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT, DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNUM=DNUMBER AND MGRID=ID AND LNAME=’girma’)
UNION
(SELECT DISTINCT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT, WORKS_ON, EMPLOYEE
WHERE PNUMBER=PNO AND EID=ID AND LNAME=’girma’);
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The first SELECT query retrieves the projects that involve a ‘girma’ as manager of the
department that controls the project, and the second retrieves the projects that involve a ‘girma’
as a worker on the project. Notice that if several employees have the last name ‘girma’, the
project names involving any of them will be retrieved. Applying the UNION operation to the two
SELECT queries gives the desired result. SQL also has corresponding multiset operations, which
are followed by the keyword ALL (UNION ALL, EXCEPT ALL,
INTERSECT ALL). Their results are multisets (duplicates are not eliminated).
Substring Pattern Matching and Arithmetic Operators
In this section we discuss several more features of SQL. The first feature allows comparison
conditions on only parts of a character string, using the LIKE comparison operator. This can be
used for string pattern matching. Partial strings are specified using two reserved characters: %
replaces an arbitrary number of zero or more characters, and the underscore (_) replaces a single
character. For example, consider the following query.
QUERY 12 Retrieve all employees whose address is in Houston, Texas.
Q12:
SELECT FNAME, LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE ADDRESS LIKE ‘%Houston, TX%’;
To retrieve all employees who were born during the 1950s, we can use Query 12A. Here, ‘5’
must be the third character of the string (according to our format for date), so we use the value ‘_
_ 5_ _ _ _ ‘, with each underscore serving as a placeholder for an arbitrary character.
QUERY 12A: Find all employees who were born during the 1950s.
Q12A:
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SELECT FNAME, LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE BDATE LIKE ‗_ _ 5_ _ _ _‘
If an underscore or % is needed as a literal character in the string, the character should be

preceded by an escape character, which is specified after the string using the keyword ESCAPE.
For example, ‘AB\_CD\%EF’ ESCAPE ‘\’ represents the literal string ‘AB_CD%EF’, because \
is specified as the escape character. Any character not used in the string can be chosen as the
escape character. Also, we need a rule to specify apostrophes or single quotation marks (“) if
they are to be included in a string, because they are used to begin and end strings. If an
apostrophe (‘) is needed, it is represented as two consecutive apostrophes (“) so that it will not be
interpreted as ending the string.
Another feature allows the use of arithmetic in queries. The standard arithmetic operators for
addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/) can be applied to numeric values
or attributes with numeric domains. For example, suppose that we want to see the effect of
giving all employees who work on the ‘ProductX’ project a 10 percent raise; we can issue
Query13 to see what their salaries would become. This example also shows how we can rename
an attribute in the query result using AS in the SELECT clause.
QUERY 13 Show the resulting salaries if every employee working on the ‘ProductX’ project is
given a 10 percent raise.
Q13:
SELECT FNAME, LNAME, 1.1*SALARY AS INCREASED_SAL
FROM EMPLOYEE, WORKS_ON, PROJECT
WHERE ID=EID AND PNO=PNUMBER AND PNAME=’ProductX’
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For string data types, the concatenate operator | | can be used in a query to append two string
values. For date, time, timestamp, and interval data types, operators include incrementing (+) or
decrementing (-) a date, time, or timestamp by an interval. In addition, an interval value is the
result of the difference between two date, time, or timestamp values. Another comparison
operator that can be used for convenience is BETWEEN, which is illustrated in Query 14.
QUERY 14 Retrieve all employees in department 5 whose salary is between $30,000 and
$40,000.
Q14: SELECT *
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE (SALARY BETWEEN 30000 AND 40000) AND DNO =5;
The condition (SALARY BETWEEN 30000 AND 40000) in Q14 is equivalent to the condition
((SALARY >= 30000) AND (SALARY <= 40000)).
Ordering of Query Results
SQL allows the user to order the tuples in the result of a query by the values of one or more
attributes, using the ORDER BY clause. This is illustrated by Query 15.
QUERY 15 Retrieve a list of employees and the projects they are working on, ordered by
department and, within each department, ordered alphabetically by last name, first name.
Q15: SELECT DNAME, LNAME, FNAME, PNAME
FROM DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYEE, WORKS_ON, PROJECT
WHERE DNUMBER=DNO AND SSN=ESSN AND PNO=PNUMBER
ORDER BY DNAME, LNAME, FNAME
The default order is in ascending order of values. We can specify the keyword DESC if we want
to see the result in a descending order of values. The keyword ASC can be used to specify
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ascending order explicitly. For example, if we want descending order on DNAME and ascending
order on LNAME, FNAME, the ORDER BY clause of Q15 can be written as
ORDER BY DNAME DESC, LNAME ASC, FNAME ASC
More Complex SQL Queries
In the previous section, we described some basic types of queries in SQL. Because of the
generality and expressive power of the language, there are many additional features that allow
users to specify more complex queries. We discuss several of these features in this section.
Nested Queries, Tuples, and Set/Multiset Comparisons
Some queries require that existing values in the database be fetched and then used in a
comparison condition. Such queries can be conveniently formulated by using nested queries,
which are complete select-from-where blocks within the WHERE clause of another query. That
other query is called the outer query. Query 4 is formulated in Q4 without a nested query, but it
can be rephrased to use nested queries as shown in Q4A. Q4A introduces the comparison
operator IN, which compares a value v with a set (or multiset) of values V and evaluates to
TRUE if v is one of the elements in V
Q4A: SELECT DISTINCT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT
WHERE PNUMBER IN (SELECT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT, DEPARTMENT,
EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNUM=DNUMBER AND MGRID=ID AND
LNAME=’Girma’)
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OR
PNUMBERIN (SELECT PNO
FROM WORKS_ON, EMPLOYEE
WHERE EID=ID AND LNAME=’Girma’)
The first nested query selects the project numbers of projects that have a ‘GIRMA’ involved as
manager, while the second selects the project numbers of projects that have a ‘GIRMA’ involved
as worker. In the outer query, we use the OR logical connective to retrieve a PROJECT tuple if
the PNUMBER value of that tuple is in the result of either nested query. If a nested query returns
a single attribute and a single tuple, the query result will be a single (scalar) value. In such cases,
it is permissible to use = instead of IN for the comparison operator. In general, the nested query
will return a table (relation), which is a set or multiset of tuples.
SQL allows the use of tuples of values in comparisons by placing them within parentheses.
To illustrate this, consider the following query:
SELECT DISTINCT EID
FROM WORKS_ON
WHERE (PNO, HOURS) IN (SELECT PNO, HOURS FROM WORKS_ON
WHERE ID=’12’)
This query will select the Identity numbers of all employees who work the same (project, hours)
combination on some project that employee ‘John Smith’ (whose ID =’12’) works on. In this
example, the IN operator compares the sub tuple of values in parentheses (PNO, HOURS) for
each tuple in WORKS_ON with the set of union-compatible tuples produced by the nested
query.
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In addition to the IN operator, a number of other comparison operators can be used to compare a
single value v (typically an attribute name) to a set or multiset V (typically a nested query). The
= ANY (or = SOME) operator returns TRUE if the value v is equal to some value in the set V
and is hence equivalent to IN. The keywords ANY and SOME have the same meaning. Other
operators that can be combined with ANY (or SOME) include >, >=, <, <=, and < >. The
keyword ALL can also be combined with each of these operators.
For example, the comparison condition (v > ALL V) returns TRUE if the value v is greater
than all the values in the set (or multiset) V. An example is the following query, which returns
the names of employees whose salary is greater than the salary of all the employees in
department 5:
SELECT LNAME, FNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE SALARY> ALL (SELECT SALARY
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNO=5)
In general, we can have several levels of nested queries. We can once again be faced with
possible ambiguity among attribute names if attributes of the same name exist-one in a relation
in the FROM clause of the outer query, and another in a relation in the FROM clause of
the nested query. The rule is that a reference to an unqualified attribute refers to the relation
declared in the innermost nested query. For example, in the SELECT clause and WHERE clause
of the first nested query of Q4A, a reference to any unqualified attribute of the PROJECT
relation refers to the PROJECT relation specified in the FROM clause of the nested query. To
refer to an attribute of the PROJECT relation specified in the outer query, we can specify and
refer to an alias (tuple variable) for that relation. These rules are similar to scope rules for
program variables in most programming languages that allow nested procedures and functions.
To illustrate the potential ambiguity of attribute names in nested queries, consider Query 16,
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QUERY 16 Retrieve the name of each employee who has a dependent with the same first name
and same sex as the employee.
Q16: SELECT E.FNAME, E.LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE AS E
WHERE E.ID IN (SELECT EID
FROM DEPENDENT
WHERE E.FNAME=DEPENDENT_NAME
AND E.SEX=SEX)
In the nested query of Q16, we must qualify E. SEX because it refers to the SEX attribute of
EMPLOYEE from the outer query, and DEPENDENT also has an attribute called SEX. All
unqualified references to SEX in the nested query refer to SEX of DEPENDENT. However, we
do not have to qualify FNAME and ID because the DEPENDENT relation does not have
attributes called FNAME and ID, so there is no ambiguity.
It is generally advisable to create tuple variables (aliases) for all the tables referenced in an SQL
query to avoid potential errors and ambiguities.
Correlated Nested Queries
Whenever a condition in the WHERE clause of a nested query references some attribute of a
relation declared in the outer query, the two queries are said to be correlated. We can understand
a correlated query better by considering that the nested query is evaluated once for each tuple (or
combination of tuples) in the outer query. For example, we can think of Q16 as follows:
For each EMPLOYEE tuple, evaluate the nested query, which retrieves the ESSN values for all
DEPENDENT tuples with the same sex and name as that EMPLOYEE tuple; if the SSN value of
the EMPLOYEE tuple is in the result of the nested query, then select that EMPLOYEE tuple.
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In general, a query written with nested select-from-where blocks and using the = or IN
comparison operators can always be expressed as a single block query. For example, Q16 may
be written as in Q16A:
Q16A: SELECT E.FNAME, E.LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE AS E, DEPENDENT AS D WHERE E.ID=D.EID AND E.SEX=D.SEX

AND
E.FNAME=D.DEPENDENT_NAME
The original SQL implementation on SYSTEM R also had a CONTAINS comparison operator,
which was used to compare two sets or multisets. This operator was subsequently dropped from
the language, possibly because of the difficulty of implementing it efficiently. Most commercial
implementations of SQL do not have this operator. The CONTAINS operator compares two sets
of values and returns TRUE if one set contains all values in the other set. Query 3 illustrates the
use of the CONTAINS operator.
QUERY 3 Retrieve the name of each employee who works on all the projects controlled by
department number 5.
Q3: SELECT FNAME, LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE ((SELECT PNO
FROM WORKS_ON
WHERE ID=EID)
CONTAINS
(SELECT PNUMBER
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FROM PROJECT
WHERE DNUM=5))
In Q3, the second nested query (which is not correlated with the outer query) retrieves the project
numbers of all projects controlled by department 5. For each employee tuple, the first nested
query (which is correlated) retrieves the project numbers on which the employee works; if these
contain all projects controlled by department 5, the employee tuple is selected and the name of
that employee is retrieved. Notice that the CONTAINS comparison operator has a similar
function to the DIVISION operation of the relational algebra.
Because the CONTAINS operation is not part of SQL, we have to use other techniques, such as
the EXISTS function, to specify these types of queries
The EXISTS and UNIQUE Functions in SQL
The EXISTS function in SQL is used to check whether the result of a correlated nested query is
empty (contains no tuples) or not. We illustrate the use of EXISTS-and NOT EXISTS-with some
examples. First, we formulate Query 16 in an alternative form that a use EXISTS.
Q16B: SELECT E.FNAME, E.LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE AS E
WHERE
EXISTS (SELECT *
FROM DEPENDENT
WHERE E.ID=EID AND E.SEX=SEX
AND E.FNAME=DEPENDENT_NAME)
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EXISTS and NOTEXISTS are usually used in conjunction with a correlated nested query. In
QI6B, the nested query references the ID, FNAME, and SEX attributes of the EMPLOYEE
relation from the outer query. We can think of Q16B as follows: For each EMPLOYEE tuple,
evaluate the nested query, which retrieves all DEPENDENT tuples with the same Identity
number, sex, and name as the EMPLOYEE tuple; if at least one tuple EXISTS in the result of the
nested query, then select that EMPLOYEE tuple. In general, EXISTS (Q) returns TRUE if there
is at least one tuple in the result of the nested query Q, and it returns FALSE otherwise. On the
other hand, NOTEXISTS (Q) returns TRUE if there are no tuples in the result of nested query Q,
and it returns FALSE otherwise. Next, we illustrate the use of NOTEXISTS.
QUERY 6 Retrieve the names of employees who have no dependents.
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT *
FROM DEPENDENT
WHERE ID=EID)
In Q6, the correlated nested query retrieves all DEPENDENT tuples related to a particular
EMPLOYEE tuple. If none exist, the EMPLOYEE tuple is selected. We can explain Q6 as
follows:
For each EMPLOYEE tuple, the correlated nested query selects all DEPENDENT tuples whose
EID value matches the EMPLOYEE ID; if the result is empty; no dependents are related to the
employee, so we select that EMPLOYEE tuple and retrieve its FNAME and
LNAME.
QUERY 7 List the names of managers who have at least one dependent.
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FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE
EXISTS (SELECT *
FROM DEPENDENT WHERE ID=EID) AND
EXISTS
(SELECT *
FROM DEPARTMENT
WHERE ID=MGRID)
One way to write this query is shown in Q7, where we specify two nested correlated queries; the
first selects all DEPENDENT tuples related to an EMPLOYEE, and the second selects all
DEPARTMENT tuples managed by the EMPLOYEE. If at least one of the first and at least one
of the second exists, we select the EMPLOYEE tuple. Can you rewrite this query using only a
single nested query or no nested queries?
Query 3 (“Retrieve the name of each employee who works on all the projects controlled by
department number 5,”) can be stated using EXISTS and NOTEXISTS in SQL systems. There
are two options. The first is to use the well-known set theory transformation that (S1
CONTAINS S2) is logically equivalent to (S2 EXCEPT S1) is empts,” This option is shown
as Q3A.
Q3A: SELECT FNAME, LNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE NOT EXISTS ((SELECT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT WHERE DNUM=5) EXCEPT
(SELECT PNO
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FROM WORKS_ON
WHERE ID=EID))
In Q3A, the first sub query (which is not correlated) selects all projects controlled by department
5, and the second sub query (which is correlated) selects all projects that the particular employee
being considered works on. If the set difference of the first sub query MINUS (EXCEPT) the
second sub query is empty, it means that the employee works on all the projects and is hence
selected. The second option is shown as Q3B. Notice that we need two-level nesting in Q3B and
that this formulation is quite a bit more complex than Q3, which used the CONTAINS
comparison operator, and Q3A, which uses NOT EXISTS and EXCEPT. However, CONTAINS
is not part of SQL, and not all relational systems have the EXCEPT operator even though it is
part of SQL-99.
Q3B: SELECT LNAME, FNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE NOT EXISTS
(SELECT *
FROM WORKS_ON B
WHERE (B.PNO IN (SELECT PNUMBER
FROM PROJECT WHERE DNUM=5))
AND
NOT EXISTS (SELECT *
FROM WORKS_ON C
WHERE C.EID=ID
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AND C.PNO=B.PNO))
In Q3B, the outer nested query selects any WORKS_ON (B) tuples whose PNO is of a project
controlled by department 5, if there is not a WORKS_ON (C) tuple with the same PNO and the
same SSN as that of the EMPLOYEE tuple under consideration in the outer query. If no such
tuple exists, we select the EMPLOYEE tuple. The form of Q3B matches the following
rephrasing of Query 3: Select each employee such that there does not exist a project controlled
by department 5 that the employee does not work on. There is another SQL function, UNIQUE
(Q), which returns TRUE if there are no duplicate tuples in the result of query Q; otherwise, it
returns FALSE. This can be used to test whether the result of a nested query is a set or a multiset.
Explicit Sets and Renaming of Attributes in SQL
We have seen several queries with a nested query in the WHERE clause. It is also possible to use
an explicit set of values in the WHERE clause, rather than a nested query. Such a set is enclosed
in parentheses in SQL.
QUERY 17 Retrieve the IDENTITY numbers of all employees who work on project numbers
1, 2, or 3.
Q17: SELECT DISTINCT ESSN
FROM WORKS_ON
WHERE PNO IN (1, 2, 3)
In SQL, it is possible to rename any attribute that appears in the result of a query by adding the
qualifier AS followed by the desired new name. Hence, the AS construct can be used to alias
both attribute and relation names, and it can be used in both the SELECT and FROM clauses.
For example, Q8A shows how query Q8 can be slightly changed to retrieve the last name of each
employee and his or her supervisor, while renaming the resulting attribute names as
EMPLOYEE_NAME and SUPERVISOR_NAME. The new names will appear as column
headers in the query result.
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Q8A: SELECT E.LNAME AS EMPLOYEE_NAME, S.LNAME AS
SUPERVISOR_NAME
FROM EMPLOYEE AS E, EMPLOYEE AS S
WHERE E.SUPERID=S.ID
Joined Tables in SQL
The concept of a joined table (or joined relation) was incorporated into SQL to permit users to
specify a table resulting from a join operation in the FROM clause of a query. This construct
may be easier to comprehend than mixing together all the select and join conditions in the
WHERE clause. For example, consider query Q1, which retrieves the name and address of every
employee who works for the ‘Research’ department. It may be easier first to specify the join of
the EMPLOYEE and DEPARTMENT relations, and then to select the desired tuples and
attributes. This can be written in SQL as in Q1A:
Q1A: SELECT FNAME, LNAME, ADDRESS
FROM (EMPLOYEE JOIN DEPARTMENT ON DNO=DNUMBER)
WHERE DNAME=’Research’
The FROM clause in Q 1A contains a single joined table. The attributes of such a table are all
the attributes of the first table, EMPLOYEE, followed by all the attributes of the second table,
DEPARTMENT. The concept of a joined table also allows the user to specify different types of
join, such as NATURAL JOIN and various types of OUTER JOIN. In a NATURAL JOIN on
two relations R and S, no join condition is specified; an implicit equijoin condition for each pair
of attributes with the same name from Rand S is created. If the names of the join attributes are
not the same in the base relations, it is possible to rename the attributes so that they match, and
then to apply NATURAL JOIN. In this case, the AS construct can be used to rename a relation
and all its attributes in the FROM clause. This is illustrated in Q1B, where the DEPARTMENT
relation is renamed as DEPT and its attributes are renamed as DNAME, DNO (to match the
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name of the desired join attribute DNO in EMPLOYEE), MID, and MSDATE. The implied join
condition for this NATURAL JOIN is EMPLOYEE. DNO = DEPT. DNO, because this is the
only pair of attributes with the same name after renaming.
Q1B: SELECT FNAME, LNAME, ADDRESS
FROM (EMPLOYEE NATURAL JOIN (DEPARTMENT AS DEPT (DNAME, DNO, MID,

MSDATE)))
WHERE DNAME=’Research;
The default type of join in a joined table is an inner join, where a tuple is included in the result
only if a matching tuple exists in the other relation. For example, in queryQ8A, only employees
that have a supervisor are included in the result; an EMPLOYEE tuple whose value for
SUPERID is NULL is excluded. If the user requires that all employees be included, an OUTER
JOIN must be used explicitly. In SQL, this is handled by explicitly specifying the OUTER JOIN
in a joined table, as illustrated in Q8B:
Q8B: SELECT E.LNAME AS EMPLOYEE_NAME, S.LNAME AS
SUPERVISOR_NAME
FROM (EMPLOYEE AS E LEFT OUTER JOIN EMPLOYEE AS S ON
E.SUPERID=S.ID)
The options available for specifying joined tables in SQL include INNER JOIN (same as JOIN),
LEFT OUTER JOIN, RIGHT OUTER JOIN, and FULL OUTER JOIN. In the latter three
options, the keyword OUTER may be omitted. If the join attributes have the same name, one
may also specify the natural join variation of outer joins by using the keyword NATURAL
before the operation (for example, NATURAL LEFT OUTER JOIN). The
keyword CROSS JOIN is used to specify the Cartesian product operation
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It is also possible to nest join specifications; that is, one of the tables in a join may itself be a
joined table. This is illustrated by Q2A, which is a different way of specifying query Q2, using
the concept of a joined table:
Q2A: SELECT PNUMBER, DNUM, LNAME, ADDRESS, BDATE
FROM ((PROJECT JOIN DEPARTMENT ON DNUM=DNUMBER)
JOIN EMPLOYEE ON MGRID=ID)
WHERE PLOCATION=’Stafford’;
Aggregate Functions in SQL
In chapter six, we introduced the concept of an aggregate function as a relational operation.
Because grouping and aggregation are required in many database applications, SQL has features
that incorporate these concepts. A number of built-in functions exist: COUNT, SUM, MAX,
MIN, and AVG. The COUNT function returns the number of tuples or values as specified in a
query. The functions SUM, MAX, MIN, and AVG are applied to a set or multiset of numeric
values and return, respectively, the sum, maximum value, minimum value, and average (mean)
of those values. These functions can be used in the SELECT clause or in a HAVING clause
(which we introduce later). The functions MAX and MIN can also be used with attributes that
have nonnumeric domains if the domain values have a total ordering among one another. We
illustrate the use of these functions with example queries.
QUERY 19 Find the sum of the salaries of all employees, the maximum salary, the minimum
salary, and the average salary.
Q19: SELECT SUM (SALARY), MAX (SALARY), MIN (SALARY),
AVG (SALARY)
FROM EMPLOYEE
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If we want to get the preceding function values for employees of a specific department-say, the
‘Research’ department-we can write Query 20, where the EMPLOYEE tuples are restricted by
the WHERE clause to those employees who work for the ‘Research’ department.
QUERY 20 Find the sum of the salaries of all employees of the ‘Research’ department, as well
as the maximum salary, the minimum salary, and the average salary in this department.
Q20: SELECT SUM (SALARY), MAX (SALARY), MIN (SALARY),
AVG (SALARY)
FROM (EMPLOYEE JOIN DEPARTMENT ON DNO=DNUMBER)
WHERE DNAME=’Research‘
QUERIES 21 AND 22 Retrieve the total number of employees in the company (Q21) and the
number of employees in the ‘Research’ department (Q22).
Q21: SELECT COUNT (*)
FROM EMPLOYEE;
Q22: SELECT COUNT (*)
WHERE DNO=DNUMBER AND DNAME=’Research’
Here the asterisk (*) refers to the rows (tuples), so COUNT (*) returns the number of rows in the
result of the query. We may also use the COUNT function to count values in a column rather
than tuples, as in the next example.
QUERY 23 Count the number of distinct salary values in the database.
Q23: SELECT COUNT (DISTINCT SALARY)
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FROM EMPLOYEE
If we write COUNT (Salary) instead of COUNT (DISTINCT SALARY) in Q23, then duplicate
values will not be eliminated. However, any tuples with NULL for SALARY will not be
counted. In general, NULL values are discarded when aggregate functions are applied to a
particular column (attribute).
The preceding examples summarize a whole relation (Q19, Q21, Q23) or a selected subset of
tuples (Q20, Q22), and hence all produce single tuples or single values. They illustrate how
functions are applied to retrieve a summary value or summary tuple from the database. These
functions can also be used in selection conditions involving nested queries. We can specify a
correlated nested query with an aggregate function, and then use the nested query in the WHERE
clause of an outer query. For example, to retrieve the names of all employees who have two or
more dependents (Query 5), we can write the following:
Q5: SELECT LNAME, FNAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE
(SELECT COUNT (*) FROM DEPENDENT
WHERE ID=EID) >= 2′
The correlated nested query counts the number of dependents that each employee has; if this is
greater than or equal to two, the employee tuple is selected.
Grouping: The GROUP BY and HAVING Clauses
In many cases we want to apply the aggregate functions to subgroups of tuples in a

relation, where the subgroups are based on some attribute values. For example, we may want to
find the average salary of employees in each department or the number of employees who work
on each project. In these cases we need to partition the relation into non overlapping subsets (or
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groups) of tuples. Each group (partition) will consist of the tuples that have the same value of
some attributes), called the grouping attributes). We can then apply the function to each such
group independently. SQL has a GROUP BY clause for this purpose.
The GROUP BY clause specifies the grouping attributes, which should also
appear in the SELECT clause, so that the value resulting from applying each aggregate function
to a group of tuples appears along with the value of the grouping attributes).
QUERY 24 For each department, retrieve the department number, the number of employees in
the department, and their average salary.
Q24: SELECT DNO, COUNT (*), AVG (SALARY)
FROM EMPLOYEE
GROUP BY DNO;
In Q24, the EMPLOYEE tuples are partitioned into groups-each group having the same value for
the grouping attribute DNO. The COUNT and AVG functions are applied to each such group of
tuples. Notice that the SELECT clause includes only the grouping attribute and the functions to
be applied on each group of tuples. If NULLs exist in the grouping attribute, then a separate
group is created for all tuples with a NULL value in the grouping attribute. For example, if the
EMPLOYEE table had some tuples that had NULL for the grouping attribute DNO, there would
be a separate group for those tuples in the result of Q24.
QUERY 25 For each project, retrieve the project number, the project name, and the number of
employees who work on that project.
Q25: SELECT PNUMBER, PNAME, COUNT (*)
FROM PROJECT, WORKS_ON
WHERE PNUMBER=PNO
GROUP BY PNUMBER, PNAME
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Q25 shows how we can use a join condition in conjunction with GROUP BY. In this case, the
grouping and functions are applied after the joining of the two relations. Sometimes we want to
retrieve the values of these functions only for groups that satisfy certain conditions. For
example, suppose that we want to modify Query 25 so that only projects with more than two
employees appear in the result. SQL provides a HAVING clause, which can appear in
conjunction with a GROUP BY clause, for this purpose. HAVING provides a condition on the
group of tuples associated with each value of the grouping attributes. Only the groups that satisfy
the condition are retrieved in the result of the query. This is illustrated by Query 26.
QUERY26 For each project on which more than two employees work, retrieve the project
number, the project name, and the number of employees who work on the project
FROM PROJECT, WORKS_ON
WHERE PNUMBER=PNO
HAVING COUNT (*) > 2
Notice that, while selection conditions in the WHERE clause limit the tuples to which functions
are applied, the HAVING clause serves to choose whole groups.
QUERY27 For each project, retrieve the project number, the project name, and the number of
employees from department 5 who work on the project.
FROM PROJECT, WORKS_ON, EMPLOYEE
WHERE PNUMBER=PNO AND ID=EID AND DNO=5
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Here we restrict the tuples in the relation (and hence the tuples in each group) to those that
satisfy the condition specified in the WHERE clause-namely, that they work in department
number 5. Notice that we must be extra careful when two different conditions apply (one to the
function in the SELECT clause and another to the function in the HAVING clause). For
example, suppose that we want to count the total number of employees whose salaries exceed
$40,000 in each department, but only for departments where more than five employees work.
Here, the condition (SALARY> 40000) applies only to the COUNT function In the SELECT
clause. Suppose that we write the following incorrect query:
SELECT DNAME, COUNT (*)
FROM DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNUMBER=DNO AND SALARY>40000
GROUP BY DNAME
HAVING COUNT (*) > 5
This is incorrect because it will select only departments that have more than five employees who
each earn more than$40,000. The rule is that the WHERE clause is executed first, to select
individual tuples; the HAVING clause is applied later, to select individual groups of tuples.
Hence, the tuples are already restricted to employees who earn more than $40,000, before the
function in the HAVING clause is applied. One way to write this query correctly is to use a
nested query, as shown in Query 28.
QUERY28 For each department that has more than five employees, retrieve the department
number and the number of its employees who are making more than $40,000.
Q28: SELECT DNUMBER, COUNT (*)
FROM DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYEE
WHERE DNUMBER=DNO AND SALARY>40000 AND
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DNO IN (SELECT DNO
FROM EMPLOYEE
GROUP BY DNO
HAVING COUNT (*) > 5)
GROUP BY DNUMBER
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Reference
https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/RDBMS-relational-database-management-
system
https://www.uky.edu/~dsianita/622/class2.html
https://wachemo-elearning.net/courses
Weddell, G. [1992] "Reasoning About Functional Dependencies Generalized for Semantic Data Models,"
TODS, 17:1, March 1992.
Mehrotra, S., et al. [1 992] "The Concurrency Contro l Problem in Multidatabases:

Characteristics and Solutions," in SIGMOD [1992].
McFadden, F. R., and Hoffer, J. A. [1994] Modern Database Management, 4th ed., Benjamin Cummings,
1994.
McGee, W. [1977] "The Information Management System IMS/VS, Part I: General Structure and
Operation," IBM Systems Journal, 16:2, June 1 977 .
McLeish, M. [1989] "Further Results on the Security of Partitioned Dynamic Statistical Databases,"
TODS, 14:1, March 1989.
McLeod, D., and Heimbigner, D. [1985] "A Federated Architecture for Information Systems,"
TOOIS, 3:3, July 1985.
Mehrotra, S., et al. [1 992] "The Concurrency Contro l Problem in Multidatabases: Characteristics and
Solutions," in SIGMOD [1992].
Menasce, D., Popek, G., and Muntz, R. [1980] "A Locking Protocol for Resource Coordination in
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3. Fundamentals of Database module

fundamental Database (Hawassa University)

Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university

Wolaita Sodo University

Course Title: Fundamentals of Database Systems

Prepared and Compiled by: Desalegn S.

Reviewed By:- Admasu Desalegn

Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia

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3.3. Design ER Diagram .................................................................................................................... 57

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1. Fundamental concept of Database system

 Define what a database system is

 Discuss the demerits of file based system

 Describe the advantages of database system

 Understand the characteristics of Database System

Know what a DBMS is

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1.1. What is database?

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1.1.1. Evolution of a Database System

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1.1.2. Landmarks in Database System History

1.1.3. Database System Requirements

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1.1.4. Database System Architecture

Centralized Database System Architecture

Client/Server Architecture for a Database System

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CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT

FILE MAIL DBMS

Figure 1.1.4፡ Structure of client/server architecture

Two-Tier Client/Server Architecture is the simplest client/server application. In this

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Three-Tier Client/Server Architecture is an application that has three modularly separated

Components and Functionalities of a Database System

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1.2. Database Versus File system

The traditional file processing system is file-directory structure supported by a conventional

1.3. What is database management system(DBMS)

While a database is a repository of data, a database management system, or simply DBMS, is a

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1.4. The evolution of database management systems

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Figure 1.4 illustrates the evolution of database management systems

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1.5. Typical roles and career path for database professionals

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In large database design projects, we can distinguish between two types of

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II. Database Administrator

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III. Application Developers

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1.6. Database Languages