Database Management Basics

Database management is a system for managing data that supports an organization’s business operations. It involves storing and distributing data it to users and applications and editing it as required, monitoring data changes, and stopping data corruption due unexpected failure. It is one component of a company’s total informational infrastructure that aids in decision-making and growth of the company as well as compliance with laws like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

The first database systems were developed in the 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They evolved into information management systems (IMS) that made it possible to store and retrieve large amounts information for a range of applications, from the calculation of inventory to supporting complex human resources and financial accounting functions.

A database is a collection of tables that store data according to a specific pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and allows cross-references between tables. Each table is comprised of a variety of fields, referred to as attributes, that contain information about the data entities. The most popular type of database currently is a relational model, developed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. The concept is based on normalizing data to make it easier to use. It is also easier to update data because it does not require the changing of certain sections of the database.

Most DBMSs can accommodate various types of databases, by providing different levels of igrid.media internal and external organization. The internal level deals with cost, scalability and other operational issues, such as the layout of the physical storage. The external level determines how the database is represented in user interfaces and other applications. It can include a mixture of various external views based on different models of data and can include virtual tables that are computed using generic data to enhance the performance.