Notes
Section
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Main
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Databases.
1.
Databases store
information in fields (columns) and records (rows) that
collectively make up tables (spreadsheets).
2.
Standardization of data requires everyone to store their data using the
same template, structure and format.
3.
Keys are unique identifiers for records in tables.
4.
Normalization is a
process that dismantles data into different but related tables to avoid
storing (and updating) the same data multiple times; normalization allows for
efficient data processing.
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Module
1.1
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Universal
Data Access (UDA).
A strategy for accessing a diverse group of applications and data formats
through a common method.
1. Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) - A database standard developed by
Microsoft to access many types of data from many types of applications by
inserting a middle layer--a database driver--between
the application and the database
2. Object Linking and
Embedding-Database (OLE-DB)
- OLE is a compound document standard from Microsoft which is more generic,
faster and easier to use than ODBC. OLE-DB supports database connections
through ODBC and allows access to legacy databases through existing ODBC
connections.
3. Active
X Data Object (ADO) - A set of Microsoft COM
objects--primarily Connection, Command and Recordset--that
provide an interface for OLE-DB. Unlike Data Access Objects (DAO) and
Remote Data Objects
(RDO) that are for accessing relational databases, ADO may access many different types of
data like web pages, spreadsheets and other documents.
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Module
1.2
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Active
X Data Object (ADO)
Object
Model.
ADO has five main
objects:
1.
Connection - links program and data
store (general term for data storage).
2.
Command - used to run commands against the data store.
3.
Recordset - contains data returned from query on data store.
4.
Record - allows for processing of semi-structured items, for example,
files as if they were records in a database.
5.
Stream - allows for handling web data like HTML files.
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Module
1.3
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Database Connection.
A connection links the
ADO object to the data store. The following are three methods of supplying
information to create a connection:
1. Connection strings - a
character string listing all the information required to connect to a data
source.
2. Data link files - A
method for automatically generating the code for the connection string.
3. Data Source Names (DSN)
- Specifies all the information necessary to connect and access a data store.
DSN can be stored on disk (File DSN) or within a system-wide access (System
DSN).
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Module
1.4
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Connection Object.
A Connection Object stores information about the connection and
represents the session with the data store. A connection object can have
different providers at different times.
1. See Appendix C for the
methods, properties and events of the Connection Object.
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Module
1.5
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Errors Collection.
Contains
all errors created in response to a single failure.
1. See Appendix C for the
methods and properties of the Errors Collection.
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Module
1.8
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Exercise 2.
1.
Finish reading Chapter Twelve, ASP and Data Store
Access, in the course textbook. Please read, outline and paraphrase
the entire chapter. Work the Try It Out projects for data
access with your own code if possible.
2. Please define all the new vocabulary
terms from the paragraphs in the textbook, from the textbook's glossary and
from online resources.
3. Discuss the correct answers to this week’s
quiz (shown below) on the Week 2 Student Discussion Board.
4. Microsoft Access
is used for the projects in this course.
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Module
1.9
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Quiz 2.
- A database
consists of what?
- What
is normalization?
- What is ODBC?
- How does OLE-DB compare with ADO?
- How is a connection to the database made?
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