Database management is the method for managing data that supports the organization’s business processes. It involves storing and distributing data it to users and applications making edits as needed as well as monitoring changes in data and making sure that data integrity is not compromised due to unexpected failure. It’s a component of a company’s informational infrastructure which aids in decision making and corporate growth, as well as compliance with laws like 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 enabled the storage and retrieve large 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 collection of tables which organize data in accordance with a specific pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It uses primary keys to identify records, and allow cross-references between tables. Each table contains a number of fields, called attributes, that represent facts about the data entities. The most well-known type of database today is a relational model designed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This model is based on normalizing data to make it more user-friendly. It is also simpler to update data since it doesn’t require changing many sections of the databases.
Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases through different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level focuses on costs, scalability, and other operational concerns like the design of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the way the database is presented in user interfaces and other applications. It can include a combination of various external views (based on the various data models) and may include virtual tables that are constructed using generic data to improve performance.