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Distributed Databases Question Paper

Distributed Databases 

Course:Bachelor Of Science In Information Technology

Institution: Masinde Muliro University Of Science And Technology question papers

Exam Year:2011



THIRD YEAR EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DISTRIBUTED DATABASES
DATE: APRIL 2010 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer question ONE and any other TWO questions
QUESTION ONE
a) Differentiate between a homogenous distributed database system and a heterogeneous
distributed database system [2 Marks]
b) A distributed database consists of components that are not located at a central place only.
Explain the importance of the following concepts in the context of Oracle DBMS
i) Distributed processing [3 Marks]
ii)Heterogeneous Services [3 Marks]
iii)Replication [3 Marks]
c) A database link has the same name as the global database name of the remote database that it references. Explain with examples why the statement is not true [5 Marks]
d) The distributed database supports all of the security features that are available with a
nondistributed database environment, including Password, Some types of external
authentication for users and roles, Login packet encryption for client-to-server and server-toserver
connections. As a database Administrator, which other FIVE security options will you
consider in a distributed database environment in addition to the above? [10 Marks]
e) Explain how data is accessed directly or indirectly in a distributed database environment based on client server architecture [4 Marks]
QUESTION TWO
a) Consider two databases named sales.uk.acme.com and hq.uk.acme.com. Also, assume that the
sales database contains the following view and synonym:
CREATE VIEW employee_names AS
SELECT ename FROM scott.emp@hr;
CREATE SYNONYM employee FOR scott.emp@hr;
The database expands the employee synonym definition and stores it as: scott.emp@hr.uk.acme.com.
Now consider a situation that only the Sales department is moved to the United States and Human
Resources remain in the UK. Explain what will happen when the global names changes. [6 Marks]
b) Expound on the syntax to create a synonym [5 Marks]
c) With an aid of example show how you can use Local Synonyms to Reference Remote
Procedures [5 Marks]
d) Write a SQL script that will determine if global naming is enforced or not [4 Marks]
QUESTION THREE
a) Explain using an example how you would change a domain in a Global Database Name
[6 Marks]
b) In a distributed database environment, it is vital to coordinate with the database administrator to
determine the best location for the data. Outline SIX issues to be considered in determining the location of the data [6 Marks]
c) Discuss how referential integrity is maintained in a distributed system [8 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR
a) A distributed database may be partitioned to achieve several objectives. Give any FIVE reasons why allocation of fragments are carried out in a distributed database [5 Marks]
b) Discuss fully the features that describes a distributed database management systems
[6 Marks]
c) Distributed databases can be fragmented in many ways. Define the term fragmentation and
explain using real world examples any three types of fragmentation that can be carried out.
[9 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE
a) Local views can provide location transparency for local and remote tables in a distributed database system. Using SQL show how Views can be used to create location transparency
[8 Marks]
b) Explain why it is important to use Database Links in distributed databases? [4 Marks]
c) Distributed database management systems are based on various architectures. Using a well
labeled diagram describe the reference architecture of a distributed database management
systems [8 Marks]






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