CMPT 120 Study Guide - Final Guide: Abstract Data Type, System Resource

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Computing Science
• Course: CMPT 120
• Professor: Steven Pearce

Document Summary

List the data hierarchy from smallest to largest. Data disappears from memory, this also happens when computer shuts down. Data has to be stored in a file. Files are organized into directories and identified by a unique name or a combination of a file name and directory name. Bits bytes / characters fields records files database. Field: basic element of data made up of characters, a column e. g. ) last name, first name. Record: an organization of related fields treated as a unit, a row e. g. ) first & last name + student id. File: a collection of similar records, a table e. g. ) records of a class"s students. Database: a collection of related data, many tables e. g. ) a database of school"s students. A space that the operation system (os) makes through abstractions of physical properties of its secondary storage device(s) to define a logical storage unit called a file. Files are defined based on its data items and associated operations.