DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Unit 1:
Data refers to raw, unprocessed facts, figures, or symbols that lack meaning or
context on their own. It can be anything from numbers, characters, text, or
even multimedia content like images and videos. Data is the foundational unit
upon which information is built after processing.
Information is processed, organized, or structured data that provides meaning,
context, and value. It helps in decision-making by offering insights from the raw
data.
A database is an organized collection of data that is stored and managed to
allow easy access, retrieval, and manipulation. It typically contains multiple
related tables or files.
A Database Management System (DBMS) is software that allows users to
create, manage, and interact with databases. It provides tools to store, retrieve,
update, and delete data efficiently.
Functions of a DBMS:
Data Storage: Stores large volumes of data systematically.
Data Retrieval: Enables querying data using languages like SQL.
Data Security: Ensures authorized access and protects against breaches.
Data Management: Handles backups, recovery, and updates.
Popular DBMS Software:
MySQL
Oracle Database
Microsoft SQL Server
PostgreSQL
1. Purpose of Database Management Systems (DBMS):
A DBMS provides an efficient, secure, and organized way to store, manage, and
retrieve data. Its main purposes include:
Purpose Description

Data Storage and Allows storing data in an organized way and enables
Retrieval quick retrieval using queries.

Ensures data consistency and accuracy through

Data Integrity
validation rules, constraints, and relationships.

Manages user access permissions, data encryption, and

Data Security
security features to protect sensitive information.

Provides tools to manage and manipulate data, including

Data Management
inserting, updating, and deleting records.

Concurrency Manages simultaneous data access by multiple users to

Control avoid conflicts or inconsistencies.

Backup and Supports automatic data backup and recovery in case of

Recovery system failure.

Abstracts the physical storage details from the logical

Data Independence structure, making data changes transparent to
applications.

2. Applications of Database Systems:

Database systems are used in various fields to manage data efficiently. Some
common applications are:

Application Area Description

Managing customer accounts, transactions, loans, and

Banking
balances.

Storing product details, customer orders, and

E-commerce
transaction information.

Managing patient data, medical records,

Healthcare
appointments, and prescriptions.

Storing student records, grades, courses, and faculty

Education
information.

Managing customer accounts, call records, billing, and

Telecommunications
subscriptions.

Inventory
Tracking stock levels, sales data, orders, and deliveries.
Management

Managing public records, tax information, and citizen

Government
data.

Storing user profiles, posts, comments, likes, and

Social Media
interaction data.

Managing production data, employee records,

Manufacturing
inventory, and supply chain operations.

2. History of Database Systems (till 2024)

The history of database systems spans several decades, evolving to meet the
growing need for structured data management.

Year Development

Early File Systems: Data was stored in flat files, creating

1960s
redundancy and inconsistency issues.

Relational Model (Codd's Theory): Edgar Codd introduced the

1970s
relational model, using tables (relations) to organize data.
Year Development

Commercial RDBMS Emergence: Companies like Oracle, IBM

1980s
(DB2), and Microsoft (SQL Server) popularized relational databases.

Object-Oriented Databases: Emergence of object-oriented DBMS

1990s
for complex data like multimedia and engineering data.

NoSQL Databases: The rise of non-relational databases like

2000s MongoDB and Cassandra, designed for large-scale and
unstructured data.

Cloud Databases & Big Data: Growth of cloud databases (e.g.,

2010s-
Amazon RDS, Google BigQuery) and distributed databases for
Present
handling massive data sets.

4. Traditional File System vs. Database Approach:

Traditional file systems and database management systems approach data
storage and retrieval differently.

Aspect Traditional File System Database Approach

Data is stored in separate

Data is stored in tables
Data files, leading to
(relations) with relationships,
Organization redundancy and
minimizing redundancy.
inconsistency.

Custom programs are Structured Query Language

Data Access needed to access and (SQL) enables easy, standardized
manipulate files. data access.

Supports integrity constraints

No built-in data integrity
Data Integrity like primary keys, foreign keys,
enforcement.
and check constraints.

Security is file-level and Built-in user access control,

Security
manually implemented. permissions, and encryption.

High redundancy as data is Reduces redundancy through

Data
often duplicated across normalization and relational
Redundancy
files. design.

Limited concurrency Robust concurrency control

Concurrency control, with potential for mechanisms allow multiple users
data conflicts. to access data simultaneously.

Difficult to manage, Tools for data backup, recovery,

Data
especially as the data and easy management of large
Management
grows. data sets.
5. Popular Database Software (in Table Format)

Here are some of the most widely-used database software across different
categories:

Database
Type Description
Software

Relational Database A robust, enterprise-grade RDBMS known

Oracle Database
Management for handling large-scale applications.

An open-source RDBMS, commonly used

Relational Database
MySQL for web applications and small to medium
Management
systems.

Microsoft SQL Relational Database A powerful RDBMS that integrates well

Server Management with Microsoft products and services.

Relational Database Open-source RDBMS that supports

PostgreSQL
Management complex queries and extensions.
Database
Type Description
Software

A document-based NoSQL database,

MongoDB NoSQL Database popular for handling large volumes of
unstructured data.

A distributed NoSQL database designed for

Cassandra NoSQL Database high availability and scalability in large
systems.

Relational Database Lightweight, serverless SQL database

SQLite
Management engine, often used in embedded systems.

In-memory key-value store used for

Redis NoSQL Database caching, real-time analytics, and fast data
access.

Firebase
A cloud-hosted NoSQL database designed
Realtime NoSQL Database
for real-time data syncing across devices.
Database

This table format provides a detailed overview of DBMS purposes,

applications, the history of database systems, traditional file systems vs.
database approaches, and popular database software.