Database management is the method for managing information that supports the company’s business operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to applications and users, editing it as needed and monitoring changes to data and preventing data corruption due to unexpected failure. 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 such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
In the 1960s, Charles Bachman and IBM along with others created the first database systems. They evolved into the information management systems (IMS) that enabled the storage and retrieve huge amounts of data for a wide range of purposes, ranging from calculating inventory to supporting complex financial accounting and human resources functions.
A database consists of a set of tables that arrange data according to a particular 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 set of fields, called attributes, that provide information about the entities that comprise the data. Relational models, which were developed by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM and IBM, are the most popular database type currently. The concept is based on normalizing data to make it easier to use. It is also simpler to update data since it doesn’t require changing several databases.
Most DBMSs can support multiple types of databases by offering different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level focuses on cost, scalability and other operational issues such as the layout of the physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database in user interfaces and applications. It can include a combination of different external views (based on different data models) and may also include virtual tables that are created from generic data to improve performance.