Database management is the method for managing data that supports an organization’s business operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to users and applications and editing it when needed and monitoring changes to the data and stopping data corruption due unexpected failure. It is one component of an organization’s overall informational infrastructure, which 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 evolved into information management systems (IMS), which allowed large amounts 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 is a collection of tables that arrange data in accordance with an established pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and allows cross-references among tables. Each table is comprised of a variety of fields, known as attributes, that provide information about the data entities. The most well-known type of database today is a relational model, created by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This design is based upon normalizing data to make it more user-friendly. It also makes it simpler to update data, avoiding the necessity of changing many sections of the database.
Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases by providing different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level concerns cost, scalability, and other operational issues, including the physical layout of the database. The external level is how the database is represented in user interfaces and other applications. It may include a mix of various external views based on different data models. It also may also include virtual tables that are computed using generic data in order to improve the performance.
