Database Management Basics
Database management is a method of managing the information that is used to support a company’s business operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to applications and users making edits as needed and monitoring changes to the data and preventing data corruption due to unexpected failure. It is one component of a company’s overall informational infrastructure which aids in decision making and growth for the business as well as compliance with laws like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
In the 1960s, Charles Bachman and IBM along with others created the first database systems. They developed into information management systems (IMS), which allowed huge amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a variety of purposes. From calculating inventory to supporting complex financial accounting functions and human resource functions.
A database is a set of tables that store data according to a particular arrangement, like one-to-many relationships. It uses the primary key to identify records and permits cross-references between tables. Each table has a collection of attributes or fields which provide information about data entities. The most widely used type of database that is currently in use is a relational model designed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This design is based on normalizing data to make it more user-friendly. It also makes it easier to update data by avoiding the necessity of changing several databases.
Most DBMSs are able to support different types of databases and offer different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level is focused on cost, scalability, as well as other operational issues, like the physical layout of the database. The external level is the representation of the database in user interfaces and applications. It could include a mix of different external views (based on different data models) and may also include virtual tables that are created from generic data in order to improve performance.
