What Is A Database Management System?

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What is a Database Management System?

A database management system is a collection of programs that manages the database structure and controls access to the data stored in the database. The database management system makes it possible to share the data in the database among multiple applications or users. Data is the raw material from which information is derived; there are many reasons why DBMS’s are important in our information-based society.

The DBMS contains a query language that makes it possible to produce quick answers to a spur of the moment question. The DBMS helps to create an environment in which users have better access to more and better managed data than they ever had before the DBMS became the data management standard. The availability of data, combined with the tools that transform data into useful information, empowers the users to make quick and informed decisions that can make the difference between success and failure in the global world.

The database management system is database software you buy commercially; you don’t have the option of making design changes to the software. The only portion of the DBMS that can be altered is the design of database structure that will be used to store and manage data, rather than the design of the DBMS software. Once the database design is completed, the DBMS handles all of the complicated activities required to translate the designer’s view of the structures that are usable by the computer.

Database design is very important because a good database does not just happen; the structure of its contents must be designed carefully. The database design is a crucial part of working with databases, even a good DBMS will perform poorly with a badly designed database. A poorly designed database is likely to become a breeding ground for redundant data, and generate errors that are likely to lead to bad decisions. Organizations using poorly designed databases often fa...