16
May

Database Management Basics

Database management is the method for managing information that aids the business operations of an organization. It includes data storage and distribution to users and applications, modifying it as necessary and monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from getting corrupted by unexpected failures. It is a part of the informational infrastructure of a business that aids in decision-making as well as corporate growth and 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 news60seconds.com developed into information management systems (IMS), which allowed huge amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a range of purposes. From calculating inventory, to supporting complicated financial accounting functions, and human resource functions.

A database is a collection of tables that arrange data according to the specific scheme, for example one-to many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records, and also allows cross-references among tables. Each table has a set of attributes or fields that contain information about data entities. The most well-known type of database today is a relational model developed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This design is based on normalizing data to make it simpler to use. It also makes it simpler to update data without the need to change several databases.

The majority of DBMSs are able to support multiple types of databases through different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level addresses costs, scalability, and other operational concerns like the layout of the physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It can include a combination of various external views (based on the various data models) and may include virtual tables which are generated from generic data in order to improve performance.