Background
Thato has always been interested in learning different things about the world. Besides his studies
at college to become an environmental lawyer, he has done various short courses on multiple
platforms. He started with a massive open online course (MOOC) on astronomy presented by a
well-known university in the United States of America. He decided not to opt for the official
certificate, so the study did not cost anything. However, it was still quite academic and not what
he hoped to do for fun. So, his search continued.
Then he found an international course marketplace, where the instructors posted their courses
online, and anybody could enrol to watch the video material at any time. He has since learned
how to paint watercolour flowers from an artist in Spain. Additionally, he learned how to repair
broken ceramics from a wonderfully creative person in Japan and even how to create animated
characters from somebody in Italy. These online courses cost him less than a good dinner since he
patiently awaited special offers.
After a while, he started wondering what he could learn from South African people. We have such
talented creative people. Indeed, there must be great content out there. However, he could not
find what he was looking for. Plenty of serious, academic short courses are usually available, with
equally high prices too. There just was not a space for creatives to post their material.
Thato wanted to fill this gap with our South African course marketplace website.
Question 1 – Database Management Systems (Marks: 20)
Thato has started to think about what he will need to set up his course marketplace website. He
has realised that there will be quite a lot of data that needs to be stored.
Make an infographic explaining what a database management system (DBMS) is and why it would
be helpful for Thato to have one. Include the five components of a DBMS. Include a description of
each component and an example relevant to Thato’s course marketplace.
You may use any tool of your choice to create the infographic, as long as you can embed it in the
document you submit for the assignment. Make sure that the text is readable in the final
document.
Marks will be awarded as follows:
Description of a DBMS 2 marks
List of the components 5 marks
Relevant examples of the components 10 marks
Overall appearance of the infographic 3 marks
A Database Management System (DBMS) is a software system that allows for the creation, maintenance, organization, and retrieval of data in a database.
Components of a DBMS:
1. Data: This component refers to the actual information being stored in the database. It can range from text to images to numbers. For Thato's course marketplace, data would include course titles, instructor names, course descriptions, and user information.
2. Database: This component is the collection of related data that is stored and managed in the DBMS. In Thato's case, the database would contain all the information about the courses, instructors, and users on his marketplace.
3. Database Engine: This component is responsible for processing and managing the data in the database. It allows for interactions with the database, such as inserting, updating, and deleting data. An example relevant to Thato's marketplace would be MySQL or PostgreSQL.
4. Query Processor: This component is used to retrieve data from the database based on specific criteria. Users can use queries to search for specific courses or instructors on Thato's marketplace.
5. Data Modeling: This component is used to design the structure of the database and define the relationships between different data elements. For Thato's marketplace, data modeling would involve creating tables for courses, instructors, and users, and defining how they are related to each other.
Overall, a DBMS would be helpful for Thato to efficiently store, manage, and retrieve the data for his course marketplace website, allowing for a seamless user experience.
[Infographic: Infographic showcasing the components of a DBMS and their relevance to Thato's course marketplace.]