Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION
No one can deny the importance of information in today's data-driven world.
Vital to putting all of this information to use is the ability to organize, manipu-
late, and retrieve data on demand. Therein lays the importance of databases and
database management systems. In order to understand databases and how to get
the most out of them, you need to understand key terms and have a basic con-
cept of the components involved and how they fit together in a coherent archi-
tectural model. That is the goal of this chapter.
In this chapter, we lift away some of the protective covers to look into the
nuts and bolts of what makes up a database and a database management system
(DBMS). Keep in mind throughout this chapter that databases and DBMSs have
different roles and different components. The database, while a complicated entity
in itself, at its core is simply where we store the data. The DBMS contains all of
the other components that make the database a viable storage and retrieval tool.
2.1 Introduction to Key Database Concepts
Today, almost all organizations depend on their database systems for the crucial
information they need to run their business. In every industry, from the small
mom and pop business to multinational enterprises and government agencies,
database systems are the norm for information storage and retrieval. Commerce,
whether traditional brick and mortar or Internet-based e-commerce, thrive or die
based on how they use the data they collect. Database and Web technologies
have merged into something significantly more powerful than either one alone.
The Information Technology (IT) department of today's organization has the
primary responsibility for designing, supporting, and maintaining database sys-
tems. However, IT personnel aren't the only ones who need at least some under-
standing of database technologies and what they can do for a business. Data, in
today's rapidly changing environment, is everybody's business.
2.1.1 Database Approach to Data
As you learned in Chapter 1, a database can be defined as an ordered collection
of related data elements intended to meet the information needs of an organi-
zation and designed to be shared by multiple users, as described in Figure 2-1.
Let's break the characteristics of a database down:
â–˛
A database is an ordered collection. It is a collection of data elements—
not a random group, but a collection put together deliberately, with
proper order. The data elements are linked together in the most logical
manner.
