Let the Fun Begin!
For the next 6 modules, you will participate in some exciting activities to learn about databases. You’ll swim through a Shark Attack Statistics database and discover the number of deadly shark attacks that have occurred this year or in past years at the beach you visited on vacation. Ouch! Later, you might feel a little sick after using a database to investigate the sanitary grade of your favorite local restaurant.

Here’s a snapshot of a database about waterfalls. Grab a partner and use the Waterfalls database snapshot to quiz one another on the following four terms.

Database
Field
Record
Entry

Using the same Waterfalls database, think of two questions to ask your buddy. Click here for a few ideas.

Get ready to chuckle when you read about the unusual friends that Argentinolopus Galapodus put in a database for his address book. Click here first to understand the parts of A.G.’s database. Then click here to read a few of his unbelievable entries.

Are you ready to test your understanding of the terms database, field, record and entry? Let’s look at the ISAF (International Shark Attack File) database on unprovoked shark attacks in North Carolina to identify examples of each of the four terms. You will notice there are 19 records with 7 fields in each record (Date, Victim’s Sex, Age, Location of Attack, Victim’s Activity, Result (Lived or Died?), Attacking Species). The entry for "Attacking Species" on the 57-year old Male at Salter Path was Great White. Find out if he survived. (Don’t worry about going in the water this summer! You will see how few shark attacks we have off the coast of North Carolina. Use the other databases to compare the number of N.C. shark attacks to the number of attacks off the coast of Florida.)

Coming attractions for the weeks ahead.