What is Database?

Chamara Ariyarathne
4 min readAug 16, 2023

A database is an integrated collection of related data.

Database Management System

A Database management system (DBMS) is a piece of software that makes it easier to create, organize, store, retrieve, modify, and manage structured data. It offers a user interface via which users and programs may communicate with databases, enabling effective data storing, retrieval, updating, and manipulation.

Popular Database Management System

  • Oracle.
  • MySQL.
  • Microsoft SQL Server.
  • PostgreSQL.
  • MongoDB.
  • Redis.
  • IBM DB2.
  • Elasticsearch.

Features Of Database Management System

  1. Data Integrity
  2. Data Security and Access Control
  3. Data Manipulation Language (DML)
  4. Data Definition Language (DDL)
  5. Query Language
  6. Transactions and Concurrency Control
  7. ACID Compliance
  8. Schema and Data Modeling
  9. Normalization
  10. Indexing
  11. Data Backup and Recovery
  12. Data Storage Management

Advantages Of Database Management System

The many benefits that database management systems (DBMS) provide help with effective data administration, greater data integrity, improved security, and simplified application development. Here are a few major benefits of utilizing a DBMS

  1. Data Centralization: DBMS centralizes data storage, facilitating data management and maintenance from a single location.
  2. Data Integrity: To guarantee correct and consistent data, DBMS implements data integrity restrictions including unique keys and referential integrity.
  3. Data Security: In order to protect sensitive data from unwanted access, DBMS offers access control features.
  4. Reduced Data Redundancy:Through normalization procedures, DBMS decreases data redundancy by removing duplicate data and cutting down on storage needs.
  5. Data Consistency: By enforcing transactional and ACID features, DBMS makes certain that data is consistent across the database.
  6. Efficient Data Retrieval: DBMS uses indexing and optimized query processing to enable fast and efficient data retrieval.
  7. Data Sharing: DBMS allows concurrent access by multiple users or applications, supporting collaborative work and data sharing.
  8. Multi-User Support: DBMS supports simultaneous access by multiple users, managing concurrency and ensuring data integrity.
  9. Data Query and Reporting: DBMS provides powerful query capabilities that enable users to retrieve specific data and generate reports as needed.
  10. Data Backup and Recovery: DBMS offers backup and recovery mechanisms to protect data

Relational Database

A Relational database is a type of database that organizes and stores data using a structured method. It is based on Dr. E.F. Codd’s relational model, which was first presented in 1970. Data is arranged in relational databases into tables, also known as relations, with each table consisting of rows and columns.

Relational Database Management System

A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a type of database management system that is based on the relational model of data. In an RDBMS, data is stored in tables with rows and columns, and the relationships between the tables are defined by keys.

Advantage Of RDBMS

  1. Clarity of Data Structure: RDBMS provides a structured and organized manner to describe and store data by organizing data into well-defined tables with rows and columns.
  2. Data Integrity: To guarantee data accuracy and consistency, RDBMS enforces data integrity restrictions, such as primary keys, foreign keys, and unique constraints.
  3. Flexibility of queries: RDBMSs come with a robust query language (SQL) that enables users to retrieve and modify data using sophisticated queries, aggregations, and joins.
  4. Relationships between Tables: Using primary and foreign keys, RDBMS enables the construction of relationships between tables, facilitating quick data retrieval and analysis.
  5. Normalization: To eliminate data redundancy, reduce anomalies, and improve data integrity, RDBMS provides normalization procedures.

Differences Between RDBMS & DBMS

Certainly, let’s compare Database Management Systems (DBMS) and Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) in terms of their characteristics and features:

Database Management System (DBMS)

A DBMS is a software system that allows users to create, manage, and manipulate databases. It serves as an interface between the user, applications, and the underlying data storage. A DBMS can encompass various data models, not limited to the relational model.

Characteristics of DBMS:

  1. Data Models: DBMS can support different data models, including the relational model, hierarchical model, network model, and various NoSQL models.
  2. Flexibility: DBMS can be more flexible in terms of data modeling and schema design, allowing for a wider range of data structures.
  3. Schema Evolution: Changes to the database schema may be easier to accommodate in some DBMSs compared to RDBMSs.
  4. Data Redundancy: DBMS may allow more data redundancy and denormalization, which can improve performance in certain cases.
  5. Consistency: ACID compliance may vary based on the specific DBMS implementation and data model.
  6. Query Languages: DBMSs may use SQL or other specialized query languages based on the chosen data model.
  7. Scalability: Scalability options can vary widely among different types of DBMSs.

Relational Database Management System (RDBMS):

An RDBMS is a specific type of DBMS that is based on the relational data model, characterized by structured tables, well-defined relationships, and adherence to ACID properties.

  1. Data Model: RDBMS follows the relational data model, organizing data into tables with rows and columns.
  2. Schema Structure: RDBMS enforces structured schema with predefined tables, columns, data types, and relationships.
  3. Normalization: RDBMS encourages normalization to reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity.
  4. ACID Compliance: RDBMSs strictly adhere to ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) to ensure data integrity and consistency.
  5. Query Language: SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for interacting with RDBMSs.
  6. Data Integrity: RDBMSs emphasize data integrity through normalization and primary/foreign key relationships.
  7. Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database.

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