1 Data, Databases, and the Software Engineering Process
1.1 INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we introduce some concepts and ideas that are fundamental to our presentation of the design of a database. We define data, describe the notion of a database, and explore a process of how to design a database.
1.2 DATA
Data, as we use the term, are facts about something or someone. For example, a person has a name, an address, and a gender. Some data (facts) about a specific person might be “Mary Jo Davis,” “123 4th St.,” “Female.” If we had a list of several people’s names, addresses, and genders, we would have a set of facts about several people. A database is a collection of related data. For this “set of facts ...
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