FUNDAMENTALS OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(DBMS)

DATA VS INFORMATION

DATA- referred to known facts that could be recorded and stored on computer
media. For example in a salesperson’s database, the data would include facts
such as customer name, address and telephone number.
Types of Data
 Structured: numbers, text, dates
 Unstructured: images, video, documents

INFORMATION - referred as data that have been processed in such a way that
it can increase the knowledge of the person who uses it.

Metadata – data that describes the

properties and context of user data.

DATABASE - is a collection of related data and data is a collection of facts and

figures that can be processed to produce information.
A database has the following implicit properties:
• A database represents some aspect of the real world, sometimes
called the miniworld or the universe of discourse. Changes to the
miniworld are reflected in the database.
• A database is a logically coherent collection of data with some inherent
meaning. A random assortment of data cannot correctly be referred to
as a database.
• A database is designed, built, and populated with data for a specific
purpose. It has an intended group of users and some preconceived
applications in which these users are interested.

A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of programs

that enables users to create and maintain a database. The DBMS is a general-
purpose software system that facilitates the processes of defining,
constructing, manipulating, and sharing databases among various users and
applications.
• Defining a database involves specifying the data types, structures, and
constraints of the data to be stored in the database.
• Constructing the database is the process of storing the data on some
storage medium that is controlled by the DBMS.
• Manipulating a database includes functions such as querying the
database to retrieve specific data, updating the database to reflect
changes in the miniworld, and generating reports from the data.
• Sharing a database allows multiple users and programs to access the
database simultaneously.
ADVANTAGES OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
 Reducing Data Redundancy - The file based data management systems
contained multiple files that were stored in many different locations in
a system or even across multiple systems. Because of this, there were
sometimes multiple copies of the same file which lead to data
redundancy. This is prevented in a database as there is a single
database and any change in it is reflected immediately. Because of this,
there is no chance of encountering duplicate data.
 Sharing of Data -In a database, the users of the database can share the
data among themselves. There are various levels of authorization to
access the data, and consequently the data can only be shared based
on the correct authorization protocols being followed. Many remote
users can also access the database simultaneously and share the data
between themselves.
 Data Integrity - Data integrity means that the data is accurate and
consistent in the database. Data Integrity is very important as there are
multiple databases in a DBMS. All of these databases contain data that
is visible to multiple users. So it is necessary to ensure that the data is
correct and consistent in all the databases and for all the users.
 Data Security - Data Security is vital concept in a database. Only
authorized users should be allowed to access the database and their
identity should be authenticated using a username and password.
 Unauthorized users should not be allowed to access the database
under any circumstances as it violates the integrity constraints.
 Privacy - The privacy rule in a database means only the authorized
users can access a database according to its privacy constraints. There
are levels of database access and a user can only view the data he is
allowed to. For example - In social networking sites, access constraints
are different for different accounts a user may want to access.
 Backup and recovery - Database Management System automatically
takes care of backup and recovery. The users don't need to backup data
periodically because this is taken care of by the DBMS. Moreover, it
also restores the database after a crash or system failure to its previous
condition.
 Data Consistency - Data consistency is ensured in a database because
there is no data redundancy. All data appears consistently across the
database and the data is same for all the users viewing the database.
Moreover, any changes made to the database are immediately
reflected to all the users and there is no data inconsistency.

DISADVANTAGES OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 High Cost - The high cost of software and hardware is the main
disadvantage of the database management system. Database users
require a high-speed processor and huge memory size to use the
database on the DBMS. Sometimes, users require costly machines for
maintaining databases. Organizations need a trained and highly paid
technical database administrator for using and maintaining the large
database systems
 Huge Size - The size of the database is not big at the initial state, but
when the user stores a large amount of data, then it creates many
problems. Due to the huge data, database systems do not provide good
results and do not run efficiently. That's why the size is another
limitation of the database systems.
 Database Failure - In the database systems, all the data or information
of an organization is stored in one centralized database. If the database
of that organization fails, then the data is lost, and the organization will
 collapse. So, database failure is a big problem with the database
management system.
 Complexity - Database management system (DBMS) is so complex for
non-technical users. So, it isn't easy to manage and maintain database
systems. Therefore, training for the designers, users, and
administrators is necessary to efficiently run the database systems.
 Increased Staff Cost - DBMS requires an educated and skilled staff for
managing and maintaining the databases. So, we need to spend a lot of
money to get this level of trained and experienced staff.
 Requirement of technical staff - A non-technical people can't
understand the complexity of the database. So, the technical staff is
required for maintaining and handling the database management
system.
 Cost of data conversion - It is one of the big disadvantages of the
database management system because the cost of data conversion is
very high. There is a requirement for trained, skilled, and experienced
database administrators for converting the data smoothly.
 Performance - Performance is another big disadvantage of database
systems because the speed of the database systems for small firms and
organizations is very slow. Hence, the performance of the database
systems in small organizations is poor.