Database management is a method of managing information that a company needs to run its business operations. It includes data storage and distribution to users and application programs and modifying it as needed, monitoring changes in the data and preventing it from getting damaged due to unexpected failures. It is part of the entire informational infrastructure of a company that supports decision making in corporate growth, as well as compliance with laws like the GDPR and 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) that allowed the storage and retrieve huge amounts of information for a range of applications, from the calculation of inventory to supporting complex financial accounting and human resources functions.
A database is a set of tables that organizes data according to a specific pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It utilizes primary keys to identify records and allows cross-references between tables. Each table has a variety of fields, known as attributes, which provide information about the data entities. The most widely used type of database that is currently in use is a relational model, developed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This model is based on normalizing the data, making it simpler to use. It also makes it simpler to update data by avoiding the need to update various databases.
Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases by providing different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level addresses cost, scalability and other operational issues including the layout of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It could comprise a combination of various external views (based on the various data models) and can also include virtual tables that are created from generic data in order to improve performance.
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