149. Which of the following is a disadvantage of distributed database management systems when compared to centralized database management systems?
a. Autonomy
b. Reliability
c. Flexibility
d. Data backup
The other three choices are incorrect. Autonomy and better control are provided to local management. Reliability is increased; that is, if one server goes down, most of the data remains accessible. Flexibility is provided; that is, users tend to request locally created and maintained data more frequently than data from other locations. These are advantages of being distributed.
150. Which one of the following data models is suitable for predetermined data relationships?
a. Hierarchical data model
b. Network data model
c. Relational data model
d. Distributed data model
The network model provides somewhat more general structures than the hierarchical, for relating diversified data with concern for saving storage. The resulting database may be complex, and the user, normally a programmer, must carefully track the current reference position among the data occurrences. For this reason, the network structure is said to induce a navigational approach in processing transactions. The network model is capable of high efficiency in performance and storage use. Query facilities, although available, are less developed for this model than for the other models.
The relational model is widely accepted as the most suitable for end users because its basic formulation is easily understood, and its tabular data structure is obvious and appealing to laymen. Query language innovations are most pronounced for this model over others.
The distributed model can be thought of as having many network nodes and access paths between the central and local computers and within the local computer sites. Database security becomes a major issue in a truly distributed environment, where data itself is distributed and there are many access paths to the data from far-flung locations.
151. A restart and recovery mechanism for a database management system (DBMS) would
a. Rollback approach
b. Reorganization
c. Shadowing approach
d. Versioning facility
The DBMS must have a comprehensive and reliable recovery system that uses either the rollback approach in which invalid or incomplete transactions and database images are backed up; or the shadowing approach with journaling (or transaction recording) and recovery by reapplying transactions against a previous version of the database. These facilities should also accommodate selected recovery for specific files, records, or logical records.