Database management is a system of managing information that a company needs to run its business operations. It involves storing data and distribution to users and applications making changes as needed as well as monitoring changes to the data and preventing it from being corrupted due to unexpected failure. It’s a component of a company’s total informational infrastructure that supports 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 developed the first database systems. They evolved into information management systems (IMS), which allowed massive amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a range of purposes. From calculating inventory, to supporting complicated financial accounting functions, and human resource functions.

A database is a set of tables that store data in accordance with a certain scheme, like one-to-many relationships. It makes use of primary keys to identify records and allow cross-references between tables. Each table contains a set of attributes or fields that provide information about data entities. The most widely used kind of database is a relational model, designed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This design is based upon normalizing data to make it easier to use. It also makes it easier to update data since it eliminates the need to modify various databases.

Most DBMSs support multiple types of databases by offering different internal and external levels of organization. The internal level is concerned with cost, scalability and other operational issues like the layout kewoulo.info of the database’s physical storage. The external level is the representation of the database on user interfaces and applications. It could comprise a mix of different external views that are based on different data models. It also may include virtual table that are computed using generic data to enhance the performance.