Database Management Basics

Database management is a method of coordinating the information that supports a business’s operations. It involves storing data and distribution to applications and users and then modifying it if necessary as well as monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from becoming damaged due to unexpected failures. It is part of the informational infrastructure of a business that supports decision making and 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 developed into information management systems (IMS) which enabled the storage and retrieve huge amounts of data for a variety of purposes, ranging from calculating inventory to supporting complicated financial accounting and human resources functions.

A database is a set of tables that organizes data according to a certain scheme, like one-to many relationships. It uses primary keys to identify records and allows cross-references between tables. Each table contains a number of fields, called attributes, that contain information about the data entities. 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 model is based on normalizing the data, making it more easy to use. It is also menteatempo.com simpler to update data because it does not require the changing of various databases.

Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases by offering different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level concerns costs, scalability and other operational issues, including the physical layout of the database. The external level is the way the database appears in user interfaces and other applications. It could include a mix of various external views based on different models of data and could include virtual tables that are computed using generic data in order to improve the performance.