Database management is a method for managing the data that supports a company’s business operations. It involves storing data, distributing it to users and applications and then modifying it if necessary, monitoring changes in the data and preventing it from becoming corrupted by unexpected failure. It’s a component of a company’s informational infrastructure that aids in decision-making, corporate growth and compliance with laws such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

In the 1960s, Charles Bachman and IBM among others came up with the first database systems. They evolved into information management systems (IMS) which allowed large amounts 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 is a collection of tables which organize data in accordance with an established pattern, such as one-to-many relationships. It uses the primary key to identify records and allows cross-references among tables. Each table has a set of fields, known as attributes, that represent facts about the data entities. Relational models, developed by E. F. “TedCodd Codd in the 1970s at IBM, are the most popular database type today. The concept is based on normalizing data to make it easier to use. It also makes it easier to update data without the necessity of changing many sections of the database.

Most DBMSs support different types of databases by offering different levels of internal and external organization. The internal level deals with cost, scalability and other operational concerns like the layout of the database’s physical storage. The 134.19.190.93 external level focuses on how the database is presented in user interfaces and other applications. It could include a mix of different external views based on different data models. It may also include virtual tables that are computed using generic data to improve the performance.