Pearson BTEC Levels 4 and 5 Higher Nat ionals in Computing
Specification
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Issue 1
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October 2016
© Pearson Education Limited
2016
106
Unit 4: Database Design &
Development
Unit code H/615/1622
Unit type Core
Unit level 4
Credit value 15
Introduction
Organisations depend on their databases to provide information essential for their
day-to-day operations and to help them take advantage of today's rapidly growing
and maturing e-commerce opportunities. An understanding of database tools and
technologies is an essential skill for designing and developing systems to support
them.
Database systems continue to demand more complex data structures and
interfaces, as applications get increasingly sophisticated. Most organisations collect
and store large volumes of data, either on their own systems or in the cloud, and
this data is used not just for the operational running of their business but also
mined for other more intelligent and complex applications. Databases stand as the
back-end of most systems used by organisations for their operations.
Database design and development is a fundamental and highly beneficial skill for
computing students to master, regardless of their specialism.
The aim of this unit is to give students opportunities to develop an understanding of
the concepts and issues relating to database design and development, as well as to
provide the practical skills to translate that understanding into the design and
creation of complex databases.
Topics included in this unit are: examination of different design tools and
techniques; examination of different development software options; considering the
development features of a fully functional robust solution covering data integrity,
data validation, data consistency, data security and advanced database querying
facilities across multiple tables; appropriate user interfaces for databases and for
other externally linked systems; creating complex reports/dashboards, testing the
system against the user and system requirements; and elements of complete
system documentation.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to use appropriate tools
to design and develop a relational database system for a substantial problem. They
will be able to test the system to ensure it meets user and system requirements
and fully document the system by providing technical and user documentation. For
practical purposes, this unit covers relational databases and related tools and
techniques. A brief overview of object-oriented databases will also be covered.
Students will develop skills such as communication literacy, critical thinking,
analysis, reasoning and interpretation, which are crucial for gaining employment
and developing academic competence.
