Database management is a system for managing data that supports the business operations of an organization. It involves storing data, disseminating it to applications and users and editing it when needed, monitoring data changes, and preventing data corruption due to unexpected failure. It is an element of a company’s total informational infrastructure, which supports decision-making and growth of the company as well as compliance with laws such as the GDPR and portal.syswrk.com 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 variety of purposes. From calculating inventory, to supporting complex financial accounting functions and human resource functions.
A database is a set of tables that store data according to a certain scheme, like one-to-many relationships. It uses primary key to identify records and allow cross-references between tables. Each table has a set of fields, referred to as attributes, which provide information about data entities. The most widely used type of database currently is a relational model, designed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This model is based upon normalizing the data, making it simpler to use. It is also easier to update data because it doesn’t require the modification of certain sections of the database.
Most DBMSs support multiple database types by providing different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level deals with cost, scalability and other operational issues including the layout of the database’s physical storage. The external level determines how the database is displayed in user interfaces and other applications. It can include a mixture of different external views based on different data models and may include virtual table that are calculated with generic data to enhance the performance.