Programming & App Development
What shows the structure of code without using the specific syntax of any one language?
Pseudocode.
You want to check whether a condition has been met, and if it has, perform one action. Otherwise, you want your program to perform a second action. What sort of programming operation would help achieve this?
A conditional branch, such as an If…Then statement.
True or false? You do not need to install a web application to your computer; it would be accessed via a browser.
True.
What language is usually used to request data from an RDBMS such as Oracle?
Structured Query Language (SQL) is used to query RDBMS-based database platforms.
You need a development environment with a library of database functions. What type of interface are you using?
Programmatic access.
What is an interpreted language?
Interpreted languages do not need to be compiled. They run within the context of an interpreter which converts the code to machine code during runtime.
In a program, what does a loop do?
A loop performs one or more instructions until (or while) a condition is met.
What is the advantage of a local network hosted application, in terms of data storage?
If data is stored on the server not on the local workstation, it is easier to apply access controls and to back it up.
What is it that defines the relationship between tables in an RDBMS?
Each table contains a primary key whose value is unique for each record in the table. A foreign table can use the value of a primary key as a relation, storing the value in a foreign key field.
How can a client-server application architecture be described if there is the potential for the structure of the application platform to be developed further?
This could be described as a two-tier application. It could be re-developed as a three-tier application by specifying presentation, application, and data layers.
How is a markup language differ from a compiled language?
Markup doesn't provide instructions for the CPU to run as such. Markup is a way of using nested tags within a document to describe its structure and contents.
What is the difference between a procedure and a function?
A procedure does something while a function does something and then returns a value to the main program.
What are the structural elements of a database table?
Each table stores information about records (rows in the table) in fields (columns in the tables).
Give an example of unstructured data.
Images and text files and other document formats are unstructured data.
What type of component provides persistent storage?
A mass storage device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD), or flash memory. You could also mention optical discs (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray).
What are constants and variables examples of?
Programming identifiers.
What three things define an object?
Properties, attributes, and methods.
What term is used to describe selecting and viewing information in a database?
Query.
Give two examples of semi-structured data stores.
Key/value pair databases and markup language document stores.
What computer component is most restrictive in terms of determining upgrade potential for a desktop computer?
The motherboard—it is difficult and expensive to replace.
What type of programming concept allows for a variable size container?
A vector is a variable size container while an array is a fixed size one.
What three scripting options are commonly used in Windows 10 to perform administrative tasks?
Batch files, Windows PowerShell scripts, and VBScripts.
How does an RDBMS such as Microsoft SQL Server differ from Microsoft Excel when used to store a dataset?
Excel is an example of a flat file system. These do not scale well, and usually support a single user only. RDBMS platforms enable many hundreds or thousands of users to connect concurrently, and can support very large datasets. Also, an RDBMS can enforce data types for each column and validate information entered as fields and records.
Is an INSERT statement an example of a definition or manipulation language statement?
Manipulation language—it depends on the structure of a table (columns, data types, and constraints) being established already.
True or false? A plug-in card is always required to support PC sound.
False—sound functions are often provided by the motherboard chipset.