A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored and accessed electronically from a computer system. Where databases are more complex they are often developed using formal design and modeling techniques. Computer databases typically contain aggregations of data records or files, containing information about sales transactions or interactions with specific customers.
Depending upon the usage requirements, there are following types of databases available in the market:
- Centralized database.
- Distributed database.
- Personal database.
- End-user database.
- Commercial database.
- NoSQL database.
- Operational database.
- Relational database.
- Cloud database.
- Object-oriented database.
- Graph database.
Databases store information and its contents can be everything from product catalogs to repositories of customer information. For information to be easy to access, use and understand, database management systems are required. Database management systems can help sort information as well as link databases to each other and provide reports about changes and trends in the information in databases.
List of popular databases
- Oracle 12c
- MySQL
- Microsoft SQL Server
- PostgreSQL
- MongoDB
- MariaDB
- DB2
- SAP HANA
There are multiple popular databases to choose from, which means that you’re guaranteed to find one that will fit your needs. Thanks to the fact that there are several excellent free options, individuals and small organizations will still be able to find a database management tool that meets their criteria. On the other hand, if your organization requires a more feature-intensive solution, there are also many paid database solutions available.
The various reasons a database is important are:
- Manages large amounts of data
- Accurate
- Easy to update data
- Security of data
- Data integrity
- Easy to research data
Database languages
Database languages are special-purpose languages, which allow one or more of the following tasks, sometimes distinguished as sublanguages:
- Data control language (DCL) – controls access to data;
- Data definition language (DDL) – defines data types such as creating, altering, or dropping tables and the relationships among them;
- Data manipulation language (DML) – performs tasks such as inserting, updating, or deleting data occurrences;
- Data query language (DQL) – allows searching for information and computing derived information
Database Management System
A database management system (DBMS) is system software for creating and managing databases. A DBMS makes it possible for end-users to create, read, update and delete data in a database. The DBMS essentially serves as an interface between the database and end-users or application programs, ensuring that data is consistently organized and remains easily accessible.
Advantages of using DBMS.
Using a DBMS to store and manage data comes with advantages, but also overhead. One of the biggest advantages of using a DBMS is that it lets end users and application programmers access and use the same data while managing data integrity. Data is better protected and maintained when it can be shared using a DBMS instead of creating new iterations of the same data stored in new files for every new application. The DBMS provides a central store of data that can be accessed by multiple users in a controlled manner.
Types of DBMS
- Hierarchical Databases
- Network Databases
- Relational Databases
- Object-oriented Databases
- Graph Databases
- ER model Databases
- Document Databases
A database management system is important because it manages data efficiently and allows users to perform multiple tasks with ease. A database management system stores organize and manage a large amount of information within a single software application. The use of this system increases the efficiency of business operations and reduces overall costs.
Database management systems are important to businesses and organizations because they provide a highly efficient method for handling multiple types of data. Some of the data that are easily managed with this type of system include employee records, student information, payroll, accounting, project management, inventory and library books. These systems are built to be extremely versatile.