Database management is the method for managing information that supports the organization’s business processes. It involves storing and distributing data it to applications and users and editing it when needed and monitoring changes to data and protecting against data corruption due to unexpected failure. It’s a component of an organization’s overall informational infrastructure that aids in decision-making and growth for the business as well as compliance with laws such as 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 the information management systems (IMS) which allowed the storage and retrieve large amounts of data for a broad range of purposes, ranging from calculating inventory to supporting complex financial accounting and human resources functions.
A database is a collection of tables that organizes data in accordance with a certain scheme, like one-to many relationships. It utilizes primary key to identify records and allows cross-references between tables. Each table is comprised of a set of fields, referred to as attributes, which provide information about data entities. Relational models, developed by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM and IBM, are the most widely used type of database currently. The concept is based on normalizing data to make it simpler to use. It is also simpler to update data since it does not require changing many sections of the databases.
Most DBMSs are able to support different types of databases by offering different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level concerns cost, scalability, as well as other operational issues, including the physical layout of the database. The external level is the representation of the database in user interfaces and applications. It can include a combination of different external views (based on the various data models) and may include virtual tables that are computed from data that is generic to enhance performance.
