In section 1.2 it was assumed that the new data item, minimum StockLevel, would be incorporated into the database by extending the existing Product file. Instead, minimum StockLevel could have been included in a separate file with the format:
Product No, minimum Stock Level
If this idea is taken to its logical conclusion, there would be a separate file for each data item other than product No. For example, the Product file data would be stored as five separate files:
Product No, product Description product No, price product No, quantity In Stock product No, reorder Level product No, minimum Stock Level
This is known as a transposed file structure. Discuss the merits of this approach with respect to program/data independence (especially the addition of a data item). Would a database management system be of any use as an interface to a transposed file structure and, if so, what kind of translation might it perform between the global database view and the local views of the application programs?