DBS sample Questions on Unit 1 and Unit 2

Introduction (07/08 Marks Questions)

1. Describe the main characteristic of database approach in contrast with file oriented approach.
2. What is file processing system? Explain disadvantages of file processing system.
3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of DBMS.
4. Explain different types of database system users.
5. Describe three schema architecture with example.
6. Describe the components of DBMS.
7. Explain data models with example
8. Define and discuss the role of data administrator in detail.
9. What do you mean by data models? Explain the types of data model with an example for each.
10. What are the different types of database end users? Discuss the main activities of each
11. Define, explain and differentiate between physical and logical data independence.
ER and Relational (07/08 Marks Questions)
12. Elaborate different types of keys in RDBMS. Explain with the help of suitable diagram
13. Discuss entity and referential integrity constraints? Why is each considered important?
14. Define foreign key? How does it play role in the join operation. Explain with example.
15. What is difference between specialization and generalization? Why do we not display this
difference in schema design
16. What is a type inheritance? How does superclass / subclass relationship represent type
inheritance?
17. Explain following terms:
a. Primary key
b. Candidate key
c. Super key
18. Define view. State the condition of updatable view
19. Explain select, project, rename and assignment operation of relational algebra
20. Justify the following statements.
a. Relation must have key
b. Handling NULL values is difficult
21. Define following terms:
a. Simple Vs composite attribute
b. Single Vs multivalued attribute
c. Strong Vs weak entity set
22. Illustrate union, intersection, difference and cross product in relational algebra using some
sample data.
23. Explain Mapping of ER to relational model.
24. What is Relational Model? Explain Domain and attribute with example.
25. Explain strong and weak entity set with example.
26. Differentiate
a. Entity Versus Relationship
b. Binary Versus Ternary Relationship
27. Define the two principle integrity rules for the relational model. Discuss why it is desirable to
enforce these rules.
28. What is a key? Explain in details the type of keys.
29. Define concept of Aggregation? Give two example of where this concept is useful.
30. Discuss the characteristics of relations that make them different from ordinary files and table.
31. List the operation of relational algebra and purpose of each with an example
32. Describe how strong and weak entities differ and provide an example of each.
33. Explain how following ER diagram constructs are mapped to relational database.
a. Strong entity types
b. Binary I:N relationship
c. Binary M:N relationship
34. Write short notes on the following (Any three)
a. Role of different levels of abstraction in detail.
b. Data models
c. Entity and Referential integrity constraints.
d. Generalization and Specialization
35. Explain the concept of aggregation. Give examples where this concept is useful.
36. Discuss the entity integrity and referential integrity constraints? Why is each considered
important?
37. When is the concept of weak entity used in data modeling? Define the terms owner entity type,
weak
38. Explain entity type, identifying relationship type and partial key.
39. What are the characteristics of relations that make it different from ordinary tables and files?
40. Briefly discuss the different types of update operations on a relation.
41. Explain the concept of aggregation. Give two examples where this concept is useful.
42. Explain the entity integrity and referential integrity constraints. Why each is considered
important?
43. Explain binary relational algebra operations in detail.
44. Explain the concept of aggregation. Give examples where this concept is useful.
45. What is database model? Explain types of data model with an example
46. Define the two principle integrity rules for the relational model. Discuss why it is desirable to
enforce these rules.
47. Difference between left outer join, right outer join and full outer join with suitable example
48. Explain insertion, deletion and modification anomalies with example.

ER Designing (07/08 Marks Questions)

49. Design an ER schema for part of bank database. Each bank can have multiple branches and each
branch can have multiple accounts.
50. Construct the ER diagram for Hospital Management
a. - Identify attribute, entities and relations.
b. - Identify primary key and foreign key
c. - Specify constraints
51. Construct E-R diagram for college administration. Justify your diagram
a. Identity attribute, entities and relations
b. Identity primary and foreign keys
c. Specify constraints
52. Design a generalization specialization hierarchy for a motor – vehicle sales company. The
company sales motorcycles, passenger cars, vans & buses. Justify your placement of attributes
at each level of the hierarchy. Explain why they should not be placed at a higher or lower level.
53. Define an EER schema for a database application that you are interested in. Specify all
constraints that should hold on the database. The schema should have at least five entity types
& four relationship types.

54. Construct an E-R diagram, Which models an outline Book store. List the entity sets and their
primary keys. Suppose the book store adds music cassettes and compact disks to its collection.
The same music item may present in cassette are compact disk the case where a shopping
basket may contain any combination of books, music cassettes or compact disk

(04 Marks Questions)

55. What do you mean by instance and schema. Explain different between them
56. List down roles and responsibilities of DBA.
57. Is data dictionary & essential part of DBMS. Why?
58. What do you mean by mapping operation?
59. What is relationship? Explain types.
60. What is total & partial participation constraint.
61. List down and explain characteristics of relation.
62. List the different DDL commands with example.
63. Define attribute. What is a key attribute?
64. What is sub query & co-related sub query?
65. Define union, intersection and minus operation in relational algebra.
66. List different types of Join.
67. Describe what a super class and a sub class represents? How they are related to each other?
68. What are the main components of entity relationship example?
69. What is meant by attribute? Explain the types with example.
70. Discuss the properties of relation.
71. What is difference between logical and physical data independence?
72. Explain the distinction between total and partial participation constraint.
73. What do you understand by the term data abstraction?
74. Define union, intersection and minus operations in relational algebra.
75. Define domain, attributes, tuples and relations.
76. List four significant differences between a traditional file system and DBMS.
77. Explain the distinctions among the terms primary key, candidate key & super key.
78. Describe the differences in meaning between the terms relation and relation schema
79. With suitable example define view.
80. Define and compare the difference between stored and derived attributes.
81. What is relation? Explain various types of relationships based on cardinaling ratio.
82. Define foreign key. What is this concept used for?
83. List out advantages of DBMS approach.
84. What are different types of end users of database?
85. Explain the distinctions among the terms primary key, candidate key & super key.
86. Differentiate between strong & weak entity with example
87. What is Multivalved dependency?
88. Explain order by clause of SQL
89. List out all aggregate functions of SQL.
90. What is multivalued dependency?
91. List different types of join.
92. Explain unary relational operation in detail.
93. Define join dependency. Also explain fifth normal form.
94. Define data abstraction and levels of data abstraction.
95. Define distributed DBMS & client server DBMS.
96. What is foreign key? List the properties of foreign key.
97. What is mapping cardinality? What are the different types of mapping cardinality?
98. Distinguish EER model from ER Model.
99. Define relational data model concept.
100. Define the terms integrity constraint.
101. Define Null Values? How do you retrieve null values
102. List the fundamentals of relational algebra
103. Define DDL and DML and list their commands
104. Define data abstraction and levels of data abstraction.
105. Define distributed DBMS & client server DBMS.
106. What is foreign key? List the properties of foreign key.
107. What is mapping cardinality? What are the different types of mapping cardinality?
108. Distinguish EER model from ER Model.
109. Define relational data model concept.
110. Define the terms integrity constraint.
111. Define Null Values? How do you retrieve null values?
112. What do you mean by mapping operation?
113. What are total and partial participation constraints?
114. List different types of End-users.
115. Define Relation Model Concept.
116. Explain distributed and client-server DBMS.
117. Define foreign key. What is the concept used for?
118. Explain properties of Relation.
119. List out roles of database administrator.
120. List out DML commands.
121. Define foreign key with example.
122. What is weak entity?
123. What is tuple and relation in relational data model?
124. Define multi-valued attribute.
125. What is ternary relationship?
126. List out various Data Model.
127. What is selection and projection in relational algebra?
128. What is natural Join?
129. Define a NULL value? How do you retrieve NULL values from the database?
130. Compare: Stored Vs derived attribute.
131. Explain distributed database.
132. What do you mean by mapping cardinalities? Explain various types of mapping
cardinalities.
133. What do you mean by integrity constraints?
134. List out major components of DBMs environment.
135. What do you mean by term data abstraction.
136. What do you mean by instance and schema? Explain difference between them
137. Define set operation in relational algebra