Introduction: Database

What is a Database?

A database is a systematic and organized collection of data records that provides electronic access to the concerned stakeholders for managing and performing data analysis.

Uses of Database

Database stores wealth of information that are important to an organization. It can be very useful for a decision-making process. For example, a equipment fleet management organization can decide a rental rate for a equipment based on the data records available in their database. Some of the important uses of databases are:

• An organization can keep track of the equipment, customers or any other related item that are important in decision making for them.

• Databases are useful for project management

• It can be useful for inventory record keeping.

• Database can be used securely, and organization can allow access only to the concerned stakeholders, whether in the office or remote.

How are data stored and retrieved in a database?

There are various software used to store and reuse the data for analysis. Such systems are called Database Management Systems (DBMS). DBMS acts as a medium for users to communicate with their data. A user can create their own database, and use it as per the requirement, utilizing DBMS.

The most widely used software or DBMS systems are:

• MySQL,

• Oracle,

• Microsoft Access,

• SQLite,

• dBASE,

• PostgreSQL, etc.

Types of DBMS

There are four main types of DBMS:

• Hierarchical DBMS

• Relational DBMS

• Object-Oriented DBMS

• Network DBMS

MySQL is a Relational DBMS (RDBMS)

- It stores data in the format of the table with rows and columns -

- It manages the data using a relational model -

- Also refer Relational Model by Edgar F. Codd -

Features of RDBMS:

• Data stored in tabular form,

• Relational model: Relation between two or more tables can be defined while creating a database using Primary Key, Foreign Key features

• Supports distributed architecture