What type of database uses parent-child relationships?

The hierarchical database model organizes data in a tree-like structure. In this model, data is stored as records which are connected to one another through links. Each record is a collection of fields, with each field containing only one value. A record in the hierarchy is referred to as a node or a segment. The top-most node is the root, and every other node has exactly one parent, while a parent can have multiple children. This one-to-many relationship from parent to child is the defining characteristic of the hierarchical model.

A. Embedded: This term describes how a database is deployed (integrated within an application), not the logical data model or structure it uses.

B. Flat file: A flat file database stores data in a single table with no structured, hierarchical relationships between records.

C. Family file: This is not a standard, recognized term for a type of database model in information technology.

1. Elmasri

R.

& Navathe

S. B. (2017). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson. In Chapter 1

Section 1.5

the text describes the hierarchical model: "In the hierarchical model

data are organized into a tree-like structure. The model represents a one-to-many relationship between a parent and its children segments."

2. Silberschatz

A.

Korth

H. F.

& Sudarshan

S. (2010). Database System Concepts (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Appendix E (Legacy Database Systems) discusses the hierarchical model

stating

"A hierarchical database consists of a collection of records that are connected to one another through links. Each record is a collection of fields... The records are organized as a collection of trees."

3. University of Washington

CSE 444: Database Management Systems. (Winter 2015). Lecture 1: Introduction to DBMS. Slide 23. The lecture notes explicitly categorize data models

identifying the Hierarchical Model as a precursor to the Relational Model

characterized by its tree-like structure. Available via UW CSE course archives.