2.

Databases
2.1. What is a database and DBMS?
Database can be defined as a repository for storing data or information which is:
 Interrelated: It means that parts of data within the database are associated
with other parts in it, e.g. data on purchased products must be related to
customers who bought them.
 Organized: It means that data is usually arranged on the basis of application
requirements; data with the same properties is e.g. grouped together.
 Accessible & exploitable: It means that data must be available for quick data
retrieval by third party applications using a variety of programming
languages such as Java.
It is the role of database administrator (DBA) to operate, secure, monitor and main-
tain the database, whereas data administrator is a non-technical position responsi-
ble for defining and implementing consistent principles connected with data, such
as setting data standards and data definitions that apply to all the databases in an
organization.
The simplest type of database is a set of flat files stored on computer disk. A simple data-
base usually consists of tables that are managed by a Database Management System
(DBMS) used as an interface between a database and its users and other programs which
access that database. DBMS helps to define, create, query, update and administer data-
base. All database files are integrated into one system, so there are less redundancies
and data management is more efficient. The DBMS can be accessed by the database
administrator e.g. through the web interface or Graphical User Interface (GUI).
32 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

DBMS vendors such as Oracle®, Microsoft® or PostgreSQL® provide various drivers

for different programming languages and platforms which enable access to database
engine. The main functionalities and objectives for DBMS are the following:
 Data availability: It refers to making data available to multiple concurrent
users. Such access is controlled by the DBMS to avoid conflicts and deadlocks.
 Data manipulation: This includes alteration of stored data and retrieval
of data.
 Data integrity: It refers to the assumption that data available in the database
is reliable and correct, without any inconsistencies in data types, legal values,
format, key uniqueness and referential integrity.
 Data security: It is connected with preventing unauthorized users from
accessing the database; in order to ensure security for the database DBMS uses:
 Encryption: It refers to converting data in the database to format which
cannot be deciphered by the users who make an attempt to view data.
 Authentication: It refers to identification of a user trying to access the
database by verifying his username and password.
 Authorization: This is a set of rules that DBAs set up to specify access
levels that individuals or groups of users can have.
 Data backup & recovery: This means that DBMS provides ways to recover
a database if there is a risk of data loss. The easiest way to do this is to make
regular backups of data or replicate database from master server to slave
server.

2.2. Common types of DBMS

Presently, the most widely used DBMS types are the following:
 Relational DBMS (RDBMS): This is the most widely used data model which
is based on relational model defined by E.F. Codd. It will be discussed in more
detail in the next part of this chapter. Data in RDBMS is stored in database
objects called tables. A table is a collection of related data entries and it
consists of columns (attributes) and rows (tuples). A field is a column in
a table which includes specific information about every record in it. Data
stored in different tables is related by common fields. Such connection between
two tables is called a relationship. The most popular RDBMS are MS SQL
Server®, DB2®, Oracle® and MySQL®. Most RDBMS use SQL (Structured
Query Language) as database query language.
To ensure accuracy and consistency of data in a relational database, integrity
constraints are used. Three types of integrity constraints which are an inherent
element of the relational data model are: entity integrity constraints, referential
integrity constraints and domain integrity constraints.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 33

 Object-oriented DBMS (OODBMS): It is used for storing data in the form

of objects. An object-oriented database can store data from various sources,
such as photographs and texts, and produce output in multimedia format.
 Object-relational DMBS (ORDBMS): This is an RDBMS engine with
additional functionality to handle such objects as audio, video and image files.
ORDBMS was created as a result of increased usage of object-oriented
programming languages.
Data in DBMS can be stored in different ways. Having that in mind, the following DBMS
can be listed:
 In-memory DBMS (IMDBMS): This is a DBMS in which the entire database
is stored in RAM (Random Access Memory) instead of SSDs (Solid State
Drives) to optimize data storage and speed of data retrieval. Owing to massive
intra-query parallelism on many-core central processing units (CPUs) the
execution time of complex analytical queries can be reduced to seconds.
 Cloud-based DBMS: This is a distributed DBMS which is based on cloud
computing platform. It means that database is stored within a cloud and
accessible remotely.
 Distributed DBMS: This is a centralized application which manages databases
distributed over multiple different computers.
 Embedded DBMS: This is a DBMS which is tightly integrated with application
software which requires access to data. Database is however not accessible for
end-users of the application.
 Database as a Service (DBaaS): This is a cloud computing service model in
which database is located on service provider’s servers. It is accessed by
the client over the network. Clients lease use of a database. Administration
of such database is provided by the service provider.

2.3. Database models

In order to build database properly and show logical organization of database objects,
database designers create a data model. Development of data model involves analyz-
ing the data and information needs of an entire organization.
Building a conceptual, logical and physical database model is just one of the steps
in database development process. By and large, it consists of the following phases:
1. Collection of requirements and analysis of needs which the database should
meet.
2. Evaluation of DBMS criteria and database selection (Access®, SQL Server®,
Oracle®, etc.).
34 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

3. Preparation of database design including conceptual, logical and physical

database model.
4. Implementation which involves creation of disk space in the form of tablespaces,
tables, etc.
5. Data migration & loading which involves ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
processes in order to load data from different systems.
6. Testing and performance tuning for performance, integrity, concurrent
access and security constraints.
7. Database release to production environment. A new information system
is accessed by the users, who add new data, modify or delete existing data.
Administrators do some performance tuning activities and apply access control
mechanisms. On the basis of information retrieved from the system, users make
business decisions.
8. Maintenance which includes modifications to the existing database design
as well as maintenance and upgrade of hardware.
In conceptual data model elements of the requirements analysis are grouped into indi-
vidual entities presented at the high level. Entities are objects which store data on the
same topic, e.g. sales entity usually stores such information as order number, order
quantity, order value, etc. Conceptual data model also presents relationships between
those entities. These relationships include i.a. one-to-many relationships, one-to-one
relationships, many-to-many relationships.
Logical data model includes all entities, their attributes and relationships between those
entities, with respect to business requirements. The complete logical data model is
called the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). The most popular notations used in
ERDs are crow’s foot notation and UML (Unified Modelling Language) notation.
At the end of the analysis phase, the entities are fully normalized, the unique identifier
for each entity is determined and any many-to-many relationships are resolved into
associative entities. There are also primary and foreign keys specified for each entity.
Physical database model is a graphical representation of database implementation. In
other words, it shows how the model will be built in the database. It is based on the
logical model and it includes all such information about database structures as table
names, column names, column data types, constraints (including information whether
a column can be null or not), as well as previously defined primary keys, foreign keys
and relationships between tables.
In the picture below (see figure 2.1) you will find all three exemplary data models
described above.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 35

Figure 2.1. Example of conceptual, logical and physical data model

2.4. Vocabulary
ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH
access control mechanism — mechanizm authentication — uwierzytelnienie/poświadczenie
kontroli dostępu authorization — upoważnienie/uprawnienie/
access level — poziom dostępu autoryzacja
accessible — dostępny backup — kopia zapasowa
accessible remotely — dostępny zdalnie by and large — ogólnie rzecz biorąc
accuracy — dokładność/precyzyjność/trafność central processing unit (CPU) — procesor
(to) administer database — administrować bazą cloud computing platform — platforma oparta
danych na chmurze obliczeniowej
alteration — zmiana cloud-based DBMS — system zarządzania bazą
(to) apply (to something) — odnosić się danych w chmurze
(do czegoś)/ dotyczyć (czegoś)/mieć zastosowanie collection of requirements — zbiór wymagań
(do czegoś) column — kolumna
(to) arrange — organizować/porządkować conceptual database model — konceptualny
associative entity — encja asocjacyjna model bazy danych
assumption — założenie concurrent access — równoczesny dostęp
attribute — atrybut consistency — spójność
36 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH

consistent — spójny distributed DBMS — system zarządzania
constraint — ograniczenie rozproszoną bazą danych

constraints — więzy domain integrity constraints — więzy

integralności domeny
(to) convert (something to something) —
przekształcać (coś w coś) driver — sterownik

crow’s foot — kurza stopka embedded DBMS — system zarządzania

wbudowaną bazą danych
data administrator — administrator danych
(to) enable — umożliwiać
data availability — dostępność danych
encryption — szyfrowanie
data backup — data integrity — integralność
danych end-user — użytkownik końcowy

data loading — ładowanie danych (to) ensure — zapewniać

data loss — utrata danych entity integrity constraints — więzy

integralności encji
data management — zarządzanie danymi
entity relationship diagram (ERD) — diagram
data manipulation — operowanie/ związków encji
manipulowanie danymi
entity — encja
data migration — migracja danych
ETL (extract, transform, load) process —
data model — model danych proces ETL/proces ekstrakcji, transformacji,
data need — zapotrzebowanie na dane i ładowania
data recovery — odzyskiwanie danych evaluation — ocena
data retrieval — wyszukiwanie danych execution time — czas wykonania
data security — bezpieczeństwo danych exploitable — nadający się do wykorzystania
data standards — standardy związane z bazami field — pole
danych flat file — plik płaski
data storage — przechowywanie danych foreign key — klucz obcy
data type — typ danychkopia zapasowa danych graphical user interface (GUI) — graficzny
database administrator (DBA) — administrator interfejs użytkownika
baz danych inconsistency — niespójność
database as a service (DBaaS) — baza danych information need — potrzeba informacyjna
jako usługa
inherent — nieodłączny
database design — projekt bazy danych
in-memory DBMS — system zarządzania bazą
database designer — projektant bazy danych danych in-memory
database engine — silnik bazy danych integrity — integralność
database management system (DBMS) — integrity constraints — więzy integralności
system zarządzania bazą danych
interface — interfejs
database object — obiekt bazodanowy
interrelated — wzajemnie powiązany
database query language — język zapytań
do bazy danych intra-query parallelism — wykonanie
pojedynczego zapytania przy równoległym użyciu
deadlock — zakleszczenie/blokada wzajemna kilku procesorów
(to) decipher — rozszyfrować/odcyfrować (to) involve — dotyczyć/obejmować
disk space — przestrzeń dyskowa key uniqueness — unikalność na poziomie kluczy
Rozdział 2.  Databases 37

ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH

(to) lease — wydzierżawić (to) purchase — nabyć/zakupić
legal value — dozwolona wartość query — zapytanie
logical database model — logiczny model bazy (to) query database — odpytywać bazę danych
danych query language — język zapytań
(to) maintain — utrzymywać RAM (random access memory) — pamięć
maintenance — utrzymanie o dostępie swobodnym/pamięć RAM
(to) make an attempt — podjąć próbę record — rekord/zapis
many-core central processing unit (CPU) — redundancy — nadmiarowość/
procesor wielordzeniowy redundancja
many-to-many relationship — relacja wiele referential integrity constraints — więzy
do wielu integralności referencyjnej
master server — serwer główny referential integrity — integralność
multimedia format — format multimedialny referencyjna

multiple concurrent users — wielu relational database management system (RDBMS)

równoczesnych użytkowników — system zarządzania relacyjną bazą danych

normalized — znormalizowany relational model — model relacyjny

notation — notacja relationship — relacja/związek

object-oriented database management system release to production environment —

(OODBMS) — obiektowy system zarządzania uruchomienie w środowisku produkcyjnym
bazą danych (to) replicate — powielać/replikować
object-oriented programming language — repository — repozytorium
obiektowy język programowania requirements analysis — analiza wymagań
object-relational database management system (to) resolve (into something) — rozkładać (na coś)
(ORDBMS) — obiektowo-relacyjny system
zarządzania bazą danych retrieval of information — wyszukiwanie
informacji
one-to-many relationship — relacja jeden do wielu
row — wiersz
one-to-one relationship — relacja jeden
do jednego security constraints — ograniczenia
ze względów bezpieczeństwa
(to) operate — obsługiwać
service provider — dostawca usługi
performance tuning — dostrajanie wydajności
slave server — serwer zapasowy
performance — wydajność
(to) set standards — wyznaczać standardy
physical database model — fizyczny model bazy
danych SQL (structured query language) —
strukturalny język zapytań
(to) prevent (someone from doing something)
— powstrzymywać (kogoś przed czymś/kogoś SSD (solid state drive) — dysk SSD/dysk
przed zrobieniem czegoś)/ uniemożliwiać półprzewodnikowy
(komuś coś/komuś zrobienie czegoś) (to) store — przechowywać/składować
primary key — klucz główny stored data — przechowywane/składowane dane
principle — zasada tablespace — obszar tabeli
programming language — język programowania third party application — aplikacja producenta
(to) provide — dostarczać/zapewniać zewnętrznego/zewnętrznego dostawcy
38 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH

tuple — krotka upgrade — aktualizacja
UML (Unified Modelling Language) — vendor — dostawca
zunifikowany język modelowania web interface — interfejs www
unauthorized user — nieautoryzowany whereas — podczas gdy
/nieuprawniony użytkownik
with respect to (something) — odnośnie
unique identifier — unikalny identyfikator do (czegoś)

2.5. Revise and expand

your knowledge
2.5.1. Did you know?
RELATIONSHIP TO (SOMETHING) vs. RELATIONSHIP WITH (SOMEBODY)
Definition:
We talk about a relationship to something when we want to express that two or more
things are connected in some way.
Example sentence:
Data in database is interrelated which means that e.g. data on purchased products must
have relationship to customers who bought them.
Dane w bazie danych są ze sobą powiązane. Oznacza to, że np. dane dotyczące naby-
tych produktów muszą być powiązane z danymi o klientach, którzy je kupili.
Definition:
We talk about a relationship with somebody when we want to say that there is a way
in which two people or groups behave towards each other.
Example sentence:
I established a good working relationship with my boss.
Dobrze mi się współpracuje z moim przełożonym./Mam dobre relacje w pracy z moim
przełożonym.
AUTHENTICATION vs. AUTHORIZATION
Definitions & example sentences:
Authentication means identification of a user trying to access the database by veri-
fying his username and password.
Uwierzytelnianie oznacza identyfikację użytkownika, który próbuje uzyskać dostęp do
bazy danych, poprzez weryfikację jego nazwy i hasła.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 39

Authorization is a set of rules that DBAs set up to specify the levels of access that
individuals or groups of users are allowed to have.
Autoryzacja oznacza zestaw reguł formułowanych przez administratorów baz danych
w celu określenia poziomów dostępu, jakie mogą zostać nadane poszczególnym osobom
lub grupom użytkowników.
INTEGRITY vs. INTEGRATION
Definition:
Integrity is the state of a thing which indicates that it is not divided and it exists as
a whole.
Example sentence:
Data integrity means that data available in the database are reliable and correct, without
any inconsistencies in data types, legal values, format, key uniqueness and referential
integrity.
Integralność danych oznacza, że dane dostępne w bazie danych są wiarygodne i po-
prawne, nie zawierają żadnych niespójności w zakresie typów danych, dozwolonych
wartości, formatu, unikalności na poziomie kluczy i integralności referencyjnej.
Definition:
Integration is the process of joining two or more things so that they work together.
Example sentence:
In Database Management System (DBMS) all database files are integrated into one
system, so there are less redundancies and data management is more efficient.
W systemie zarządzania bazą danych wszystkie pliki bazy danych są zintegrowane w jeden
system, aby zmniejszyć ilość danych nadmiarowych, a także aby zarządzanie danymi
było bardziej efektywne.
DOWNLOAD vs. UPLOAD vs. RETRIEVAL
Definition:
A download is an activity of moving data from a large computer system to a smaller one.
Example sentence:
A free trial of data backup software is available for download.
Bezpłatna wersja próbna oprogramowania do tworzenia kopii zapasowej danych jest
dostępna do pobrania.
Definition:
An upload is a process of moving data from a smaller computer system to a larger one.
40 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

Example sentence:
This tool enables you to upload data from external data resources like databases to
Hadoop.
To narzędzie umożliwia załadowanie danych do Hadoopa z zewnętrznych źródeł danych
takich jak bazy danych.
Definition:
A retrieval of data takes place when you find information or data and get it from the
memory of a computer or from a disk.
Example sentence:
In-memory DBMS is a DBMS in which the entire database is stored in RAM instead
of SSDs to optimize data storage and speed of data retrieval.
System zarządzania bazą danych in-memory to system, w którym cała baza danych
przechowywana jest w pamięci RAM zamiast na dyskach SSD w celu zoptymalizowa-
nia przechowywania danych i przyspieszenia wyszukiwania danych.

2.5.2. Data is or data are

— a common problem in IT
The word data, meaning a given fact, originates from Latin. Its singular is datum, but
this form is rarely used.
In the nineteenth century, data gained new meaning — facts, statistics and figures —
and it is used both as plural and singular, depending on the intention of the speaker
or his personal preference.
Therefore all sentences below are correct.
Data is usually treated as uncountable noun in non-scientific texts (including IT texts).
It can be replaced by the word information.
Example sentence:
This data is useless because it was collected 2 years ago.
Te dane są bezużyteczne, gdyż pochodzą sprzed 2 lat.
Data stored in different tables is related by common fields which are database table
columns.
Dane przechowywane w różnych tabelach są ze sobą powiązane za pomocą wspólnych
pól, będących kolumnami w tabeli w bazie danych.
Much of the data used in the project was out of date, so the testers were unable to test
the solution properly.
Wiele danych wykorzystanych w tym projekcie było nieaktualnych, więc testerzy nie
byli w stanie odpowiednio przetestować rozwiązania.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 41

Data is usually treated as countable noun in specialized scientific fields. It can be replaced
by the word facts or figures.
Example sentence:
A correlation coefficient value of zero means that data are randomly scattered and there
is no linear correlation between the variables.
Wartość współczynnika korelacji równa zero oznacza, że dane są losowo rozproszone
i nie istnieje liniowa zależność między zmiennymi.

2.5.3. Information is or information are?

Information is an uncountable noun which is singular. We use a singular verb with it,
so we say information is.
Example sentence:
The information is stored in separate data marts.
Te informacje są przechowywane w wydzielonych tematycznych hurtowniach danych.

2.5.4. Elements of grammar

2.5.4.1. Countable nouns (rzeczowniki policzalne)

It’s important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English as
there are separate rules for their usage.
Countable nouns are the things we can count. They have a singular and a plural
form. In the table below there are some hints on their proper usage:

SINGULAR PLURAL
Positive Positive Negative Question
There is a primary There are primary There aren’t Are there any
and a foreign key and foreign keys primary and foreign primary and foreign
specified for each specified for each keys specified for keys specified for
entity. entity. each entity. each entity?
Administrators Administrators Administrators don’t How many
do a performance do some performance do any performance performance tuning
tuning activity. tuning activities. tuning activities. activities do the
administrators do?
We can use a/an We can use some We can use any We can use any/how
before the noun before the noun. before the noun. many before the noun.
in singular.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 47

ACTIVE: The project manager obliged the database administrator to specify proper
levels of access for database users at once.
Kierownik projektu zobligował administratora bazy danych do natychmiastowego okre-
ślenia odpowiedniego poziomu dostępu dla użytkowników bazy danych.
PASSIVE: The database administrator was obliged to specify proper levels of access
for database users at once by the project manager.
Administrator bazy danych został zobligowany przez kierownika projektu do natychmia-
stowego określenia odpowiedniego poziomu dostępu dla użytkowników bazy danych.

2.6. Check your knowledge

A. Solve the crossword and find its final solution.
48 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

ACROSS DOWN
1. A __________ identifier makes each 1. A type of relationship between two
row in an entity one of a kind. entities in which each row in one table
can be related to many rows in the
relating table.
2. Another word for repository for data 2. A copy of data from database that can
or information. be used to reconstruct it.
3. A type of database which runs 3. A single row of data from a table.
on a virtualized computing platform.
4. A central processing ______ is a core 4. A request for information from
part of every computer. a database.
5. A connection between two tables 5. A volatile type of data storage
in a relational database. in a computer.
6. A DBMS which is used for storing data 6. A detailed study or examination of
in the form of objects is called something in order to understand it.
_______-oriented DBMS.
7. In order to improve system operation, 7. A synonym to simultaneous.
administrators usually do some
________ tuning activities.
8. Processes connected with retrieving 8. A set of rules set up by the database
data from database, data modification administrator which specify the levels of
and loading into target database. access that individuals or groups of users
should have to use the computer system.
9. A type of data model which includes 9. Duplication of data in a database.
all entities, their attributes and
relationships between those entities,
with respect to business requirements.
10. An object which represents data related 10. A column or combination of columns
to the same topic. which uniquely identifies a record in
a database is called a __________ key.
11. A modelling language with rich notation 11. A person that actually uses the
and set of diagrams available for information system is called the
various purposes. end-_______.
12. A complete logical data model with all
entities, their attributes and relationships
between those entities.
13. A tool which allows humans to interact
with computers.
14. A type of DBMS which stores the entire
database in RAM to improve speed of
data retrieval.
Rozdział 2.  Databases 49

B. Find mistakes in the sentences below and correct them. The first one has been
done for you.
The
1. Most popular notations which are used in Entity Relationship Diagrams
are ‘ and
is crows foot notation or UML notation.
2. Owing to CPUs with much cores, the execution times of a complex query
can be reduced to little seconds.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. A number of crucial informations were written down in the requirement
analysis.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
4. Database administrators perform a great deal of performance tunings
activities to make the use of database more effective.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
5. Embedded databases are databases who are integrated within application
softwares and are accessible for the end-users of the application.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
6. The simplest type of databases is a set of flat files which are being stored
on computer disk.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................

C. Match the word from the left with the one from the right to build full expression
from the text and translate it into Polish.

1) key a) recovery ..........................................................................

2) unauthorized b) migration ..........................................................................
3) data c) uniqueness ..........................................................................
4) integrity d) access ..........................................................................
5) data e) identifier ..........................................................................
6) production f) tuning ..........................................................................
7) concurrent g) user nieautoryzowany/nieuprawniony użytkownik
8) performance h) key ..........................................................................
9) foreign i) environment ..........................................................................
10) unique j) constraints ..........................................................................
50 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

D. Fill in the gaps with appropriate prepositions from the box. The first one has
been done for you.
1. Data in database is interrelated which means that parts of data within the
database are associated with other parts in it.
2. Logical data model includes all entities, their attributes and relationships
............ those entities, ............ respect to business requirements.
3. ............ the end of the analysis phase, the entities are fully normalized,
the unique identifier for each entity is determined and any many-to-many
relationships are resolved ............ associative entities.
4. Data stored ............ different tables is related ............ common fields.
5. A distributed DBMS is a centralized application which manages databases
distributed ............ multiple different computers.
6. Database as a Service (DaaS) is accessed ............ the client ............ the
network and its administration is provided ............ the service provider.
7. Data administrator is a non-technical position responsible ............ defining
and implementing consistent principles connected ............ data, such
as setting data definitions that apply ............ all the databases in an
organization.
8. Encryption refers ............ converting data in the database ............ format
which cannot be deciphered ............ the users who make an attempt
............ view data.

at by (x4) to (x4) between in for with (x2) over (x2) into

E. Rewrite the sentences below using the passive voice. The object to be used as
subject in passive voice has been underlined for you.
1. Logical data model includes entities, their attributes and relationships
between those entities.
.......................................................................................................................
2. E.F. Codd created a definition of relational model.
.......................................................................................................................
3. The project manager has accepted the release of database to production
environment.
.......................................................................................................................
4. Database administrator was recovering the database from backup when
the power went off.
.......................................................................................................................
5. The system analyst identified primary and foreign keys for each entity.
.......................................................................................................................
Rozdział 2.  Databases 51

F. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Informacje wyszukane w bazie danych są wykorzystywane przez użytkowników
do podejmowania decyzji biznesowych.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
2. Więzy integralności są wykorzystywane w celu zapewnienia dokładności
i spójności danych w relacyjnej bazie danych.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. System zarządzania bazą danych w chmurze to system zarządzania
rozproszoną bazą danych bazujący na platformie opartej na chmurze
obliczeniowej, a więc jest dostępny zdalnie.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
4. Dostawcy systemów zarządzania bazami danych dostarczają rozmaite
sterowniki, które umożliwiają dostęp do silnika bazy danych.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
5. Aby zminimalizować ryzyko utraty danych, najprościej jest wykonywać
regularnie kopie zapasowe danych zawartych w bazie danych lub dokonywać
replikacji danych z serwera głównego na serwer zapasowy.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. How well do you know
your computer?
3.1. Computer hardware
vs. computer software
Computer hardware is the collection of physical components that make up the com-
puter system, which you can actually touch. It includes parts which are inside the com-
puter case, like video card, hard disk drive (HDD), etc. as well as input peripherals
(used to send data to the computer) such as mouse and keyboard and output periph-
erals which provide output to the user, e.g. monitor, printer, headphones. The case is
equipped with a fan to keep the inside cool.
Computer software is a set of computer programs and procedures which perform
some tasks on a computer system. Operating system (OS) software is a software which
enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate the computer software.
The most common operating systems are Windows©, Mac©, Unix© and Linux©. Operating
system also provides interface between the user and the computer hardware.
Figure 3.1 presents typical components of computer hardware that we are all used to
working with. Some of them are described in more detail below.
Computer keyboard enables interaction between the user and the computer and it is used
to type in data into the computer system. The keyboard is made up of function keys
(F1, F2, etc.), alphanumeric keys, navigation and command keys. The computer
54 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

Figure 3.1. Typical components of computer hardware

mouse is also an input device of the computer hardware. The mouse cursor helps to
access or navigate to different points on the computer screen. When the users clicks any
particular part in a file or a program, it will open for the execution.
The system unit is the heart of the computer. It includes such vital parts as the following:
 Hard disk drive (HDD): A data storage device of the computer with storage
capacity of up to 10 TB of data. An HDD is a mechanism that controls the
positioning, reading, and writing of the hard disk, so the hard disk drive and
the hard disk are not the same things, but sometimes they are used inter-
changeably.
The hard disk can be internal or external (portable). It contains one or more
circular platters which use magnetic particles to store data in form of
spreadsheet, database, email, photo, video, etc. Data is stored in tracks and
sectors on a platter. A track can be described as a narrow recording line which
forms a circle on the disc. The storage locations are the pie-shaped sections
which divide the tracks into sectors. In each sector typically up to 512 bytes of
data can be stored. Internal hard disks are located in a drive bay and connect to
the motherboard using an ATA (advanced technology attachment), SCSI
(small computer system interface), or SATA (serial ATA) cable. They
are powered by a connection to the power supply unit (PSU). A typical HDD
looks like the one presented in figure 3.2 below.
 Power supply unit (otherwise known as the power pack): It is responsible for
power supply to the computer. It is a point at which the power cord is linked
to the power source.
 ROM (read-only memory, sometimes called non-volatile memory): It is
a storage medium which holds instructions for starting up the computer and
permanently stores data. The content of ROM cannot be changed and is not lost
even if there is an accidental power outage or a disconnection of the computer.
Rozdział 3.  How well do you know your computer? 55

Figure 3.2. Components of a typical HDD

 RAM (random access memory, sometimes called system memory): It is the
primary storage unit of the computer system. This is where the computer
temporarily stores its operating system, applications, and data in current use,
making them easily available for the computer’s processor. Unlike ROM,
RAM is a volatile memory. It means that in case of any form of disconnection
from the computer power source, information stored in RAM is lost.
 CPU (central processing unit): It is the primary component of a computer
that is responsible for fetching instructions of a program, their decoding and
executing as well as performing mathematical and logical calculations. It runs
the operating system and applications. It constantly receives input from the
user or active software programs, processes the obtained data and produces
output. The output is stored by an application or displayed on the screen. The
CPU extracts data for processing from the RAM and it processes it at a very
high speed. The RAM therefore is placed between the hard drive and the CPU.
A CPU consists of a datapath (a network of storage units (registers) and
arithmetic logic units (ALU)) and a control unit. Nowadays there are single
core, duo-core, quad-core CPUs available.
A flash memory card reader holds a flash memory which can easily be erased and
rewritten. Types of flash memory storage include USB flash drives, memory cards and
solid state drives (SSDs).

3.2. How does an HD work?

A hard disk usually consists of multiple platters and each of them placed on the top of
the other. There is a read/write head on each side of each platter. The heads are moved
to proper location by actuator arms. The movement of the actuator is controlled by
the circuit board. While the computer is running, a small motor spins the platters. As
software sends a request for disk access, the read/write heads determine the current or
new location of the data. When the location on the platters is specified, the actuator
places the read/write head over it in order to read or write data. It is worth to bear in
mind that in this process, the heads do not touch the surface of the disk — the distance
56 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

between them is very small, ca. two millionths of one inch. If dirt, hair or dust get in
that small space, a head crash can occur occasionally as a result of the read/write
head touching the platter. That is why it is important to do a backup of hard disk
regularly.

3.3. What is the motherboard?

The motherboard (also known as the main board, logic board or mobo) is a prin-
ted circuit board (PCB) inside a computer. It connects different parts of a computer
together — it has sockets (or slots) for the CPU, RAM, video card, sound card, graphics
card, network card, hard drives, etc. It also includes connectors for peripherals, such
as the display screen, mouse, keyboard, and disk drive. Thin layers of copper or alu-
minium foil printed on the motherboard, which form circuits connecting the abovemen-
tioned various components are called traces. In general, all the chips and controllers
located on the motherboard are known as the chipset.
The main components of the motherboard of one of the manufacturers are shown in
figure 3.3 below. They include the CPU socket, the northbridge (a controller which
connects the CPU to memory via the front-side bus (FSB)), southbridge (a chip which
controls the input and output (I/O) functions), Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) slots (to connect hardware) and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) for a video
or graphics card.

Figure 3.3. The main components of the motherboard of one of the manufacturers
Rozdział 3.  How well do you know your computer? 57

3.4. Vocabulary
ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH
accelerated graphics port (AGP) — datapath — ścieżka danych
przyspieszony port graficzny/port AGP/ drive bay — kieszeń napędu
magistrala AGP
duo-core CPU — dwurdzeniowy procesor
accidental power outage — nagła przerwa
w dostawie prądu (to) enable — umożliwiać
actuator arm — ramię głowicy (to be) equipped (with something) — być
wyposażonym (w coś)
actuator axis — oś pozycjonera dysku
execution — wykonanie
actuator — serwomechanizm
external hard disk — twardy dysk zewnętrzny
advanced technology attachment (ATA) —
interfejs systemowy przeznaczony do komunikacji fan — wentylator
z dyskami twardymi (to) fetch — pobierać
AGP slot — gniazdo AGP flash memory card reader — czytnik kart
alphanumeric key — klawisz alfanumeryczny pamięci typu flash
arithmetic logic unit (ALU) — jednostka flash memory — pamięć typu flash
arytmetyczno-logiczna floppy disc drive — napęd dyskietek
backup battery — bateria podtrzymująca front-side bus (FSB) — magistrala FSB
backup — kopia zapasowa function key — klawisz funkcyjny
CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive — napęd CD/DVD/ graphics card — karta graficzna
blu-ray
hard disk drive (HDD) — napęd twardego
central processing unit (CPU) — jednostka dysku
centralna/procesor
hard disk — twardy dysk
chip — chip/kość
hard drive slot — gniazdo do podłączenia
chipset — chipset twardego dysku
circuit board — płytka drukowana head crash — uszkodzenie głowicy
circuit — obwód in current use — obecnie używany
command key — klawisz polecenia input and output (I/O) function — funkcja
computer case — obudowa komputera wejścia/wyjścia
computer hardware — sprzęt komputerowy input device — urządzenie wejścia
computer software — oprogramowanie input peripheral — wejściowe urządzenie
komputerowe peryferyjne
connector — złącze input — wejście
control unit — jednostka sterująca interchangeable — wymienny/zamienny
copper — miedź interface — interfejs
CPU socket — gniazdo procesora internal hard disk — twardy dysk wewnętrzny
data storage device — urządzenie jumper — zworka
do przechowywania danych keyboard — klawiatura
58 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

ENGLISH — POLISH ENGLISH — POLISH

logic board — płyta główna quad-core CPU — czterordzeniowy procesor
magnetic particle — cząstka magnetyczna RAM slot — gniazdo RAM
main board — płyta główna random access memory (RAM) — pamięć
o dostępie bezpośrednim/pamięć RAM
(to) make up (something) — tworzyć (coś)
read/write head — głowica zapisu i odczytu
memory card — karta pamięci
read-only memory (ROM) — pamięć tylko
mobo — płyta główna (kolokwialnie)
do odczytu/pamięć stała/pamięć ROM
motherboard — płyta główna
register — rejestr
mouse cursor — kursor myszy
ROM chip — kość pamięci ROM
navigation key — klawisz nawigacyjny
(to) rewrite — ponownie zapisać
network card — karta sieciowa SATA connector — złącze SATA
non-volatile memory — pamięć nieulotna serial ATA (SATA) — interfejs szeregowy
northbridge with heat sink — mostek północny umożliwiający podłączanie pamięci masowych/
z radiatorem szeregowa magistrala komputerowa służąca
northbridge — mostek północny do komunikacji między adapterami magistrali
hosta a urządzeniami pamięci masowej
(to) obtain — uzyskać/otrzymać
single core CPU — jednordzeniowy procesor
operating system (OS) — system operacyjny
slot — gniazdo
output peripheral — wyjściowe urządzenie
small computer system interface (SCSI) —
peryferyjne
interfejs małych systemów komputerowych
output — wyjście
socket — gniazdo
PCI slot — gniazdo PCI
solid state drive (SSD) — napęd SSD
(to) perform task — wykonywać zadanie sound card — karta dźwiękowa
peripheral component interconnect (PCI) — southbridge — mostek południowy
magistrala PCI
(to) spin — obracać
peripheral — urządzenie peryferyjne
spindle — wrzeciono
pie-shaped section — sekcja w kształcie
wycinka koła spreadsheet — arkusz kalkulacyjny
platter — talerz storage capacity — pojemność pamięci
portable — przenośny storage medium — nośnik danych

positioning — pozycjonowanie storage unit — jednostka pamięci

power connector — złącze zasilania system memory — pamięć systemowa

power cord — kabel zasilający system unit — jednostka systemowa

power pack — zasilacz (kolokwialnie) trace — ścieżka

track — ścieżka
power source — źródło energii
USB flash drive — pamięć USB
power supply unit (PSU) — zasilacz
video card — karta wideo
primary storage unit — podstawowa jednostka
pamięci volatile memory — pamięć ulotna
printed circuit board (PCB) — płytka drukowana wire — przewód
60 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

Example sentences:
Our company bought monitors/displays with 24-inch screens for senior developers.
Nasza firma kupiła starszym programistom monitory z 24-calowymi ekranami.
The device is equipped with high resolution colour display.
To urządzenie jest wyposażone w kolorowy wyświetlacz o wysokiej rozdzielczości.

COMPUTER MOUSES or COMPUTER MICE?

Definitions:
In general, a plural form mice refers to animals.
As far as the pieces of computer equipment are concerned, both plural forms — mice
and mouses — are correct. The inventor of a mouse himself, Douglas Engelbart, used the
plural form ‘mice’. Presently, in most dictionaries such as Oxford English Dictionary
for instance, both plural forms are considered correct. So, you can either say computer
mice or computer mouses.
Example sentence:
Computer mice are plug-and-play type of peripherals, with no additional software to
install.
Myszy komputerowe to urządzenia peryferyjne typu plug-and-play, nie wymagające
instalacji dodatkowego oprogramowania.

3.5.2. An HDD or a HDD?

A and an are called indefinite articles (przedimki nieokreślone). The use of a or an
depends on sound at the beginning of the word following the articles. It does not depend
on the way we write the following word, but on the way we say it. The rule is the
following:
a + consonant sound at the beginning of the word (na początku słowa, gdy jest ono
wymawiane, znajduje się spółgłoska)
Examples:
a computer, a platter, a data storage device, a CPU
an + vowel sound at the beginning of the word (na początku słowa, gdy jest ono wy-
mawiane, znajduje się samogłoska)
Examples:
an HDD, an input device, an application
Rozdział 3.  How well do you know your computer? 63

Gdy oprogramowanie wysyła żądanie o dostęp do dysku, głowice odczytu i zapisu

określają aktualną lub nową lokalizację danych.
AS IF = similar to
In this case, the structure of the sentence is usually the following:
AS IF + VERB IN THE PAST
Example sentence:
The hard disk looks as if there was a head crash.
Twardy dysk wygląda tak, jakby głowica została uszkodzona.
Look at the difference in the meaning:

LIKE AS
He used a metal Użył metalowego He used a metal Użył metalowego
box like pudełka jako obudowy box as pudełka jako obudowy
a computer case. komputera. a computer case. komputera.
(pudełko jest zastępczą (pudełko stało się
obudową) obudową)

3.6. Check your knowledge

A. As of the year 2015, the term ‘computer’ starts to be applied to any device with
microprocessor that receives and processes some input from a user through
touchscreen, mouse or keyboard and at the end displays the result on a screen.
Choose appropriate definition for each type of computer and match it with
each picture:
A B C D E

F G H I J
64 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

1) PC a) a computer with powerful processors and large hard

drives, which provides services to other computers
in the network
2) desktop b) a computer designed for use by a single person;
nowadays it can come in many forms, including a tablet
3) laptop c) a large computer processing millions of transactions
every day
4) netbook d) a PC which is not portable, but set up in permanent
location
5) PDA e) a computer e.g. in a form of a watch (called
a smartwatch) or glasses with integrated applications
like in a smartphone
6) workstation f) a huge computer worth millions of dollars composed
of multiple high-performance computers operating in
parallel
7) server g) a desktop computer with more powerful processor
and additional memory, used for special purposes
8) mainframe h) a handheld PC with touchscreen technology for user
(or enterprise server) input; it has flash memory instead of hard drive
9) supercomputer i) an ultra-portable computer, smaller than a traditional
laptop
10) wearable computer j) a portable computer with integrated monitor, keyboard
and mouse in a form of touchpad

B. What do the following abbreviations stand for? Explain what they mean in
your own words.

ROM — .................................................................................................................
AGP — .................................................................................................................
PSU — .................................................................................................................
SSD — .................................................................................................................
SATA — .................................................................................................................
HDD — .................................................................................................................
OS — .................................................................................................................
CPU — .................................................................................................................

C. Name the elements of the system unit in the picture below. What are their
equivalents in Polish?
Rozdział 3.  How well do you know your computer? 65

a) case d) power cables g) RAM j) motherboard

b) floppy disk e) hard disk drive h) sound k) CD/DVD/

drive (HDD) card Blu-ray drive
c) power supply f) central processing i) battery l) fan
unit (PSU) unit (CPU) and fan

D. Fill in the gaps with appropriate prepositions from the box. The first one has
been done for you.
1. Operating system provides interface between the user and the computer
hardware.
2. The mouse cursor helps the user access or navigate to different points
............ the computer screen.
3. The motherboard includes connectors ............ peripherals, such as the
display screen, mouse, keyboard, and disk drive. All the chips and controllers
located ............ the motherboard are known as the chipset. Internal hard
disks, which are located ............ a drive bay, connect ............ the
motherboard using an ATA.
4. Hard disks usually consist ............ multiple platters and each of these
platters is placed ............ the top of the other.
5. ROM is a storage medium which holds instructions ............ starting up
the computer.
6. The CPU extracts data ............ processing from the RAM and it processes
it ............ a very high speed.

to for (x3) at in of on (x3)

66 English 4 IT. Praktyczny kurs języka angielskiego dla specjalistów IT i nie tylko

E. Match the word from the left with the one from the right to build full expression
from the text and translate it into Polish.

1) output a) board ....................................................................................

2) drive b) memory ....................................................................................
3) power c) arm ....................................................................................
4) volatile d) system system operacyjny
5) actuator e) bay ....................................................................................
6) circuit f) card ....................................................................................
7) head g) peripheral ....................................................................................
8) operating h) socket ....................................................................................
9) CPU i) cord ....................................................................................
10) network j) crash ....................................................................................

F. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Dane na twardym dysku są przechowywane na ścieżkach, w sektorach
w kształcie wycinka koła, które znajdują się na talerzu.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
2. Zawartości pamięci ROM nie utracisz, nawet jeśli wystąpi przypadkowa
awaria zasilania, natomiast jeśli chodzi o pamięć RAM, odłączenie
od źródła zasilania powoduje utratę danych.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
3. Obwody, które wyglądają jak sieć miedzianych przewodów i łączą ze sobą
różne elementy znajdujące się na płycie głównej, noszą nazwę ścieżek.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
4. Mostek południowy to chip, który jest wykorzystywany do komunikacji
z urządzeniami wejścia i wyjścia.
.......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................
5. Musimy przyzwyczaić się do faktu, że komputery stają się coraz mniejsze.
.......................................................................................................................

G. Fill in the gaps with like or as. The first one has been done for you.
1. A track looks like a narrow recording band which forms a circle on the disc.
2. On the motherboard there are such elements ............. video card, sound
card, network card, as well as multiple sockets and slots.
Rozdział 3.  How well do you know your computer? 67

3. ............. data is being written on a hard disk, the actuator heads do not touch
the surface of the disk. The distance between them is ............. two millionths
of one inch.
4. The platters of the disk are destroyed. They look ............. if there was a head
crash.
5. ROM is not ............. RAM. It is a non-volatile memory.

H. Can you read the parameters of a computer given in the picture below? What
does each of them mean?

1. .............................................................................................................................
2. .............................................................................................................................
3. .............................................................................................................................
4. .............................................................................................................................
5. .............................................................................................................................
6. .............................................................................................................................
7. .............................................................................................................................
8. .............................................................................................................................