Database management is a system of managing the information that a company needs to run its business operations. It includes data storage and distribution to application programs and users and then modifying it if necessary as well as monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from becoming damaged by unexpected failures. It is an element of a company’s informational infrastructure that aids in decision-making and growth for the business as well as compliance with laws like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
The first database systems were developed in the 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They evolved into the information management systems (IMS) that allowed for the storage and retrieve large amounts information for a range of purposes, from calculating inventory to supporting complex financial accounting and human resources functions.
A database is a collection of tables that organizes data according to an established pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and allows cross-references between tables. Each table contains a number of fields, known as attributes, which provide information about the entities that comprise the data. Relational models, created by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM and IBM, are the most widely used type of database today. This design is based on normalizing the data, making it more easy to use. It also makes it simpler to update data, avoiding the need to update various databases.
Most DBMSs can support various types of databases, by providing different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level concerns costs, scalability and 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 may include a mix of different external views that are based on different models of data and could include virtual tables that are calculated using generic data to enhance the performance.
