Views provide data independence when the database changes. True or False?

Views provide data independence when the database changes. True or False?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Only for read-only data

Answer: (A)

Views provide a stable interface to data, enabling data independence when the database changes. A view is a saved query that presents data from base tables as if it were a table. Because applications query the view rather than the underlying tables, you can alter the base schema—renaming or adding columns, splitting tables, or reorganizing storage—and keep the same view or adapt it with minimal changes. The application code continues to work against the view, so the impact of schema evolution is minimized. This decoupling is the heart of data independence: the logical data surface seen by users and programs remains consistent even as the physical storage changes. If a change touches elements the view relies on—such as removing a column the view selects—the view must be updated, but for many common evolutions the view shields applications from those changes.

Views provide a stable interface to data, enabling data independence when the database changes. A view is a saved query that presents data from base tables as if it were a table. Because applications query the view rather than the underlying tables, you can alter the base schema—renaming or adding columns, splitting tables, or reorganizing storage—and keep the same view or adapt it with minimal changes. The application code continues to work against the view, so the impact of schema evolution is minimized. This decoupling is the heart of data independence: the logical data surface seen by users and programs remains consistent even as the physical storage changes.

If a change touches elements the view relies on—such as removing a column the view selects—the view must be updated, but for many common evolutions the view shields applications from those changes.