Database management is a system for managing information that supports the company’s business operations. It includes data storage, distributing it to applications and users and then modifying it if necessary and monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from becoming damaged by unexpected failures. It is part of the informational infrastructure of a business that assists in decision making in corporate growth, as well as compliance with laws such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
The first database systems were invented in the 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They evolved into information management systems (IMS) which allowed massive amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a variety of reasons. From calculating inventory to aiding complex financial accounting functions and human resource functions.
A database is a set of tables that organize data according to some schema, such as one-to many relationships. It utilizes primary key to identify records and allow cross-references among tables. Each table has 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 among the most well-known database type currently. This design is based upon normalizing data to make it simpler to use. It also makes it simpler to update data, avoiding the need to update various databases.
Most DBMSs can support multiple types of databases through different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level deals with 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 various external views based on different models of data and could include virtual tables that are calculated using generic data to improve the performance.
