Homework
One common administrative function performed by system administrators, including database administrators, is disk de-fragmentation. Files are typically broken up into smaller pieces when they are stored on a computer hard drive. This helps the system access the hard drive more effectively as the files are modified, but it also makes it highly likely that the pieces of each file will eventually be spread around hard drive in noncontiguous locations. This is called fragmentation, and leads to inefficiencies. De-fragmentation reorganizes the pieces of the files, putting them back together (cf. Wikipedia's entry for defragmentation).
For the homework portion of this project, run the Windows disk defragmentor on your hard drive. When you are done, save a screen dump of the defragmentor dialog box, showing the before/after views of the hard drive. Did you have much fragmentation to fix? Why or why not?
Personal Database Project
For the PDP portion of this project, port your database from Access/Jet to SQL Server (on your lab machine) as you did for the movies database in lab #6. For safety's sake, keep a copy of your original mdb file.
What to turn in
Use Knightvision to submit:
- your defragmentation window screen dump (as an attached image file)
- your answers to the questions asked in the degragmentation section
- the name of your SQL Server, PDP database name, and login information for a guest account through which I can access your server (in the comments section of your KV submission)
