A database management system (DBMS) is a system, usually automated and computerized, for the

management of any collection of compatible, and ideally normalized, data.

A database application is computer software written to manage the data of a particular application or
problem.

Introduction to Database management system

A database management system (DBMS) is a computer program (or more typically, a suite of them)
designed to manage a database (a large set of structured data), and run operations on the data requested
by numerous clients. Typical examples of DBMS use include accounting, human resources and customer
support systems. Originally found only in large organizations with the computer hardware needed to support
large data sets, DBMSs have more recently emerged as a fairly standard part of any company back office.
DBMS's are found at the heart of most database applications. Sometimes DBMSs are built around a private
multitasking kernel with built-in networking support although nowadays these functions are left to the
operating system.
DATABASE
Your company lives and dies by its data.
If you can easily enter your data - and quickly retrieve useful reports - your business will thrive.
If entering an order is a slow, multi-step operation - and massaging your data into meaningful reports takes
hours and hours - your business will suffer.
WHAT IS A DATABASE?
A database is a complex tool used to store and retrieve information - quickly, efficiently - and safely. A
database is an organized collection of data.
One possible definition is that a database is a collection of records stored in a computer in a systematic way,
such that a computer program can consult it to answer questions. For better retrieval and sorting, each
record is usually organized as a set of data elements (facts). The items retrieved in answer to queries
become information that can be used to make decisions. The computer program used to manage and query
a database is known as a database management system (DBMS). The properties and design of database
systems are included in the study of information science.
Strictly speaking, the term database refers to the collection of related records, and the software should be
referred to as the database management system or DBMS. When the context is unambiguous, however,
many database administrators and programmers use the term database to cover both meanings.
Many professionals would consider a collection of data to constitute a database only if it has certain
properties: for example, if the data is managed to ensure its integrity and quality, if it allows shared access
by a community of users, if it has a schema, or if it supports a query language. However, there is no agreed
definition of these properties.
Database management systems are usually categorized according to the data model that they support:
relational, object-relational, network, and so on. The data model will tend to determine the query languages
that are available to access the database. A great deal of the internal engineering of a DBMS, however, is
independent of the data model, and is concerned with managing factors such as performance, concurrency,
integrity, and recovery from hardware failures. In these areas there are large differences between products.
It should have these features:
Group data in a meaningful format: i.e. show the total unit sales of individual widgets broken down by
month.
Enforce referential integrity. This is a fancy way of♣ saying that if you have invoice items - they can only
exist in the database if that invoice also exists.
Locate records quickly using an index. This♣ allows you to find in an instant all employees that have worked
at the company for over 5 years that live in a zip code of 75001.
ADVANTAGES OF DATA BASE
• Data can be stored
• Standards can be enforced
• Security Restrictions can be applied
• Integrity can be maintained
• Conflicting requirements can be balanced