Data Architecture and Modeling Flashcards

Which data modeling technique uses entities, attributes, and relationships to represent business concepts?

Answer: Entity-Relationship (ER) Modeling

Entity-Relationship modeling represents data as entities (business objects), attributes (properties), and relationships (associations) between entities.

What is the purpose of normalization in relational database design?

Answer: Eliminate data redundancy and ensure data integrity by organizing data into related tables

Normalization organizes data into related tables to eliminate redundancy, reduce anomalies, and ensure data integrity in relational databases.

In a star schema, what does the 'fact table' contain?

Answer: Measurable, quantitative business metrics and foreign keys to dimension tables

The fact table in a star schema contains quantitative business metrics (measures) and foreign keys linking to surrounding dimension tables.

What is denormalization in database design?

Answer: Intentionally introducing redundancy into a database to improve read performance

Denormalization intentionally adds redundant data to a normalized schema to reduce joins and improve query read performance, often used in data warehouses.

Which normal form requires that every non-key attribute be fully dependent on the entire primary key?

Answer: Second Normal Form (2NF)

Second Normal Form (2NF) requires that a table be in 1NF and that every non-key attribute be fully functionally dependent on the entire composite primary key.

What is a surrogate key in database design?

Answer: A system-generated, meaningless unique identifier assigned to each row in a table

A surrogate key is a system-generated, meaningless numeric identifier (like an auto-increment ID) used as a primary key independent of business data.