File Processing System & Database Management System.

Introduction

In this article, I will cover File Processing System & Database system in detail.

File Processing System.

• A file processing system is a collection of programs that store and manage files in computer hard-disk.File processing system has more data redundancy, less data redundancy in dbms. File processing system provides less flexibility in accessing data, whereas dbms has more flexibility in accessing data.

Types Of File Processing System:

1. Relative-record-number processing
2. Consecutive processing.
3. Sequential-by-key processing.
4. Random-by-key processing.
5. Sequential-within-limits processing.

Disadvantages of file processing:

1. Concurrent Access: – Accessing the same data from the same file is called concurrent access. In the file system, concurrent access leads to incorrect data. For example, a student wants to borrow a book from the library.
2. Security: – Each file can be password protected. But what if you have to give access to only a few records in the file? For example, the user has to be given access to view only their bank account information in the file. This is very difficult in the file system.
3. Atomicity: – If there is any failure to insert, update, or delete in the file system, there is no mechanism to switch back to the previous state. Imagine marks for one particular subject need to be entered into the Report file and then total needs to be calculated. But after entering the new marks, the file is closed without saving. That means whole of the required transaction is not performed.

Definition of Database management system (DBMS):

A Database Management System (DBMS) is software designed to store, retrieve, define, and manage data in a database.

• DBMS examples include:

1. MySQL
2. SQL Server
3. Oracle
4. dBASE
5. FoxPro

Database languages:

Database languages are used to read, update and store data in a database. There are several such languages that can be used for this purpose; one of them is SQL

1. Data Definition Language (DDL)

DDL is used for specifying the database schema. It is used for creating tables, schema, indexes, constraints etc. in database. Lets see the operations that we can perform on database using DDL:

2.Data Manipulation Language (DML)

DML is used for accessing and manipulating data in a database. The following operations on database comes under DML:Data Manipulation Languag.

3.Data Control language (DCL)

DCL is used for granting and revoking user access on a database

4.Transaction Control Language(TCL)

The changes in the database that we made using DML commands are either performed or rollbacked using TCL.

• Advantages of DBMS

1. Data sharing. The integration of all the data, for an organization, within a database system has many advantages.
2. Data independence. Another advantage of a database management system is how it allows for data independence.
3. Transaction processing.
4. Provision for multiple views of data.
5. Backup and recovery facilities.

• Disadvantages

1. Database systems are complex, difficult, and time-consuming to design.
2. Substantial hardware and software start-up costs.
3. Damage to database affects virtually all applications programs.
4. Extensive conversion costs in moving form a file-based system to a database system.
5. Initial training required for all programmers and users.