What does Database (DB) mean?

Posted:  May 14th, 2018

 

A database (DB), in the most general sense, is an organized collection of data. More specifically, a database is an electronic system that allows data to be easily accessed, manipulated and updated.

 

In other words, a database is used by an organization as a method of storing, managing and retrieving information. Modern databases are managed using a database management system (DBMS).

 

Software programmers are well acquainted with database concepts through relational databases like Oracle, SQL SERVER and MySQL, etc. Typically, a database structure stores data in a tabular format.

 

Database architecture may be external, internal or conceptual. The external level specifies the way in which every end-user type comprehends the organization of its corresponding relevant data in the database. The internal level deals with the performance, scalability, cost and other operational matters. The conceptual level perfectly unifies the different external views into a defined and wholly global view. It consists of every end-user required generic data.

 

A database-management system (DBMS) is a computer-software application that interacts with end-users, other applications, and the database itself to capture and analyze data. (Sometimes a DBMS is loosely referred to as a "database".) A general-purpose DBMS allows the definition, creation, querying, update, and administration of databases. A database is generally stored in a DBMS-specific format which is not portable, but different DBMSs can share data by using standards such as SQL and ODBC or JDBC.

 

Computer scientists may classify database-management systems according to the database models that they support. Relational databases became dominant in the 1980s. These model data as rows and columns in a series of tables, and the vast majority use SQL for writing and querying data. In the 2000s, non-relational databases became popular, referred to as NoSQL because they use different query languages.