Database management is the process for managing data that supports an organization’s business operations. It involves storing and distributing data it to users and applications, editing it as needed, monitoring data changes, and stopping data corruption due unexpected failure. It is part of the entire informational infrastructure of a business that supports decision making, corporate growth, and compliance with laws like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

The first database systems were developed in the www.ajm-web-designs.co.uk 1960s by Charles Bachman, IBM and others. They evolved into information management systems (IMS), which allowed large amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a variety of purposes. From calculating inventory, to supporting complicated financial accounting functions, and human resource functions.

A database consists of tables that organize data according to a particular pattern, for example, one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records, and allow cross-references between tables. Each table is comprised of a variety of fields, also known as attributes, which provide information about the data entities. The most widely used kind of database is a relational model developed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This design is based upon normalizing data to make it simpler to use. It also makes it simpler to update data by avoiding the necessity of changing various databases.

Most DBMSs can accommodate multiple database types by providing different levels of external and internal organization. The internal level concerns cost, scalability, as well as other operational issues, like the physical layout of the database. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It could comprise a mix of various external views based on different data models. It also may also include virtual tables that are computed using generic data in order to improve the performance.