Developing a database with advanced techniques (internal)
Internal 4 credits Tables Relationships Queries Validation TestingAS 91892, 4 credits. The internal builds a relational database with advanced techniques: more than one related table, validation that actually holds, and queries that answer real questions — on the same develop → informed → refined ladder as the rest of the "advanced techniques" family.
1 Reading the notation
Designing the structure is its own named component — distinct from just building tables.📖 Terms the schedule grades you on
4 terms- Develop a database (Achieved)
- Design the data structure; organise/query/present data; data integrity and testing; explain implications.
- Informed (Merit)
- Use testing info to improve quality; structure/organise/query LOGICALLY; address implications.
- Refined (Excellence)
- Iterative improvement throughout; present data EFFECTIVELY for the purpose and end users.
- Relevant implications (closed list)
- Social, cultural, legal, ethical, intellectual property, privacy, accessibility, usability, functionality, aesthetics, sustainability & future-proofing, end-user considerations, health and safety.
2 What each grade requires
The develop → informed → refined ladder shared across the "advanced techniques" family.| Grade | What it takes | The half people drop |
|---|---|---|
| Achieved | Advanced techniques for the purpose/end users; data integrity and testing; EXPLAIN implications | Explaining an implication in the abstract, unconnected to this outcome |
| Merit ("informed") | Use information FROM TESTING to improve quality; ADDRESS implications with a visible decision | Testing that never feeds back into an actual change |
| Excellence ("refined") | ITERATIVE improvement across design/development/testing; JUSTIFY the choices made | One single round of testing, not a genuine iteration loop |
The verb escalates every time: explain → address → justify. Each is a distinct, checkable action, not just "more effort".
3 Modelling the data
Entities, relationships, and which side holds the foreign key.The steps
- Identify the entities and what facts belong to each.
- Decide the relationships and which side holds the foreign key.
- Create tables with correct data types, keys and validation.
4 Advanced techniques in practice
Validation, joined queries, and custom forms — tied to a real need each time. ✕Validation only in the form, not the table
A rule enforced only in the interface is bypassed by any other route into the data — a direct table edit, an import, or another form. Constraints belong in the table itself so they hold no matter how data arrives.5 Testing and presenting the data
A rejected bad record is stronger evidence than a screenshot of data that was always going to work.What good test evidence shows
- Valid, boundary AND invalid data attempted.
- A deliberate attempt to break the relationships.
- Expected vs actual result recorded for each test.
- For Excellence: output formatted and labelled for the end user.
Practice
Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.
Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.
Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.
Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.