.......... mean unification of several otherwise distinct data files with data redundancy among those files partially or wholly eliminated.

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (2):
An **Integrated database** is the solution whose very definition encompasses the unification of separate, otherwise distinct data files or systems, which is why it is often referred to as a centralized and consolidated data structure. Historically, organizations maintained data in distinct, standalone files, leading to a significant problem known as **data redundancy**—where the same information, like a customer's address, was duplicated across multiple files. This duplication often caused **data inconsistency** when an update was made in one file but forgotten in another. Therefore, the core objective of establishing an Integrated database is to overcome these file-system problems by logically unifying the distinct data files and, in the process, ensuring that redundant copies are partially or wholly eliminated to maintain a single, consistent source of truth for all data elements.

The incorrect option is (1):
**Inconsistent** is an adjective that describes the *state* of the data when it contains conflicting or non-matching values. Data inconsistency is the major problem or negative outcome that arises from having uncontrolled data redundancy in multiple distinct files. The unification and elimination of redundancy described in the question are the *solution* designed to prevent and eliminate this inconsistency, not the inconsistent state itself. The unification process aims to produce a *consistent* database, not an inconsistent one.

The incorrect option is (3):
**Conversion** refers to the technical process of translating data from one format, structure, or encoding scheme into another, such as changing an old file format into a new database record format. While data conversion is a necessary technical step that must take place during the migration of distinct files into a new database structure, it is merely a *part* of the overall integration project and does not, by itself, represent the broad organizational and structural concept of unifying multiple files and eliminating redundancy.

The incorrect option is (4):
**Unique** is a term used to describe a constraint or a property of data, ensuring that no two records are allowed to have the exact same value for a particular field, such as a primary key or a social security number. The creation of a unified database aims to make data entries more unique by removing unnecessary, redundant copies. However, the term "unique" is a quality or a constraint, not the name of the final unified data structure or the process of combining the distinct data files.