Database Management Basics

Database management is a system for managing the data that a company needs to run its business operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to users and applications and editing it as required and monitoring changes to the data and protecting against data corruption due to unexpected failure. It is an element of a company’s total informational infrastructure which 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 created in the 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They developed into information management systems (IMS), which allowed huge amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a range of reasons. From calculating inventory, to aiding complicated financial accounting functions, and human resource functions.

A database is tables that are organized in accordance with a specific scheme, such as one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and permit cross-references between tables. motthuthuat.com Each table is comprised of a variety of fields, referred to as attributes, that provide information about the entities that comprise the data. The most widely used type of database today is a relational model, developed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This model is based on normalizing the data, making it simpler to use. It is also simpler to update data because it does not require changing certain sections of the database.

Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases through different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level focuses on cost, scalability and other operational issues such as the layout of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database in user interfaces and applications. It could comprise a combination of different external views (based on the different data models) and could also include virtual tables that are created from data that is generic to enhance performance.