Database management is a method of managing information that supports a company’s business operations. It involves storing data, disseminating it to users and applications and editing it as required, monitoring data changes, and protecting against data corruption due to unexpected failure. It is an integral part of the overall infrastructure of a business that supports decision making, corporate growth, and 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 developed into information management systems (IMS), which allowed massive amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a range of purposes. From calculating inventory, to supporting complex financial accounting functions and human resource functions.
A database consists of tables that store data in accordance with a specific arrangement, like one-to-many relationships. It uses the primary key to identify records and allow cross-references between tables. Each table has a set of fields, also known as attributes, that represent facts about the entities that comprise the data. Relational models, invented by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM as a database, are the most widely used type of database currently. This design is based on normalizing data to make it easier to use. It is also easier to update data since it doesn’t require changing certain sections of the database.
Most DBMSs support various types of databases, by providing different levels of internal and external organization. The internal level is concerned with cost, scalability and other operational concerns, such as the design of the database’s physical storage. The external level determines how the database appears in user interfaces and other applications. It could comprise a combination of various external views (based on different data models) and could also include virtual tables that are computed using generic data to improve performance.