Database Management Basics

Database management is the process to manage information that is essential to the organization’s business processes. It includes data storage, distributing it to applications and users, modifying it as necessary and monitoring the changes in the data and preventing it from getting damaged by unexpected failure. It is one component of a company’s total informational infrastructure, which supports decision-making and growth of the company as well as compliance with laws such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

In the 1960s, Charles Bachman and IBM among others developed the first database systems. They evolved 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 aiding complex financial accounting functions as well as human resource functions.

A database consists of a set of tables that organize data according to some schema, such as one-to many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and permits cross-references among tables. Each table has a variety of fields, called attributes, that represent facts about the data entities. dyvinetz.com The most well-known 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 upon normalizing data to make it easier to use. It also makes it easier to update data by avoiding the need to change several databases.

The majority of DBMSs support a variety of databases and offer different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level is concerned with cost, scalability, as well as other operational issues, including the physical layout of the database. 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 different data models) and could also include virtual tables that are created from generic data to improve performance.