Database management is a system of managing information that supports a business’s operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to application programs and users and modifying it as needed as well as monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from being corrupted by unexpected failures. It’s a component of an organization’s overall informational infrastructure that supports decision-making and growth of the company as well as 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 large amounts 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 is a collection of tables that store data according to a specific pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It uses primary keys to identify records and permit cross-references between tables. Each table has a collection of attributes or fields that represent facts about data entities. Relational models, created by E. F. “Ted” Codd in the 1970s at IBM, are kinhmautinphat.com the most widely used type of database today. This model is based on normalizing the data, making it more easy to use. It also makes it simpler to update data since it eliminates the need to update various databases.

Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases, offering internal and external levels of organization. The internal level focuses on cost, scalability and other operational concerns like the layout of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It could include a mix of various external views (based on the various data models) and may also include virtual tables that are constructed from data that is generic to enhance performance.