DATABASE

A database is a data structure that stores organized information. Most databases contain
multiple tables, which may each include several different fields. For example, a company
database may include tables for products, employees, and financial records. Each of these
tables would have different fields that are relevant to the information stored in the table.
What is a Table?
In relational database terms, a table is responsible for storing data in the database. Database
tables consist of rows and columns.

Rows
Rows run horizontally. They represent each record. A row is the smallest unit of data that can
be inserted into a database.
Rows span multiple columns, and therefore, the definition of a column applies to the cell where
the row intersects with that column.
In this example, the fourth row is selected/highlighted.
Columns
Columns run vertically. They contain the definition of each field.
You give each column a name, so that it is describes the data that is stored. Examples of column
names could include FirstName, LastName, ProductId, Price, etc
In this example, the second column (called AlbumName) is selected/highlighted.
Many Tables
Most relational databases contain many [Link] example, a database might have
a Customers table, a Products table, an Orders table, and many more. In fact, it's not
uncommon for a corporate database to contain hundreds of tables.
Record
A record is a set of data stored in a table, e.g., a customer record. A record in a database is an
object that can contain one more values. Groups of records are then saved in a table; the table
defines the data that each record may contain. In a given database, there are multiple tables,
each containing multiple records.
Think of the rows and columns of a typical spreadsheet. Rows are horizontal and go across the
spreadsheet from left to right, whereas columns are vertical and flow down the worksheet.
Since a new row creates a new entry in the table/spreadsheet, it is called a record. The same is
true in a database: Records are stored in rows that make up the table. The fields in the
database are the columns.
Field
Database fields are the containers that store pieces of information or data in database tables. In
this lesson, we will learn about database fields and explore some of the common types of
database fields.
Overview of Database Fields
A database is a collection of tables. Each table has fields, or containers, to hold the data. And
each table contains rows of data, which are also called records.
Consider a student table that stores data about students in a class:
Student Table

student-id student-name student-email

054 Joe j@[Link]

055 Kate k@[Link]

056 Laura l@[Link]

057 Mike m@[Link]

The fields in this table (which are the containers that hold the data) are:
student-id
student-name
student-email
This table has 4 rows of data. Each row is a database record. A record for this table contains all
the information about one student. Each of the columns of the table, (student-id, student-name
and student-email) are the database fields. In this table record 1 is data about the student Joe,
his student id is 054, and his email is j@[Link].
Each database field defines a unique piece of data. A table contains only one field of each kind.
For example the student table will have only one field each for student-id, student-name, and
student-email. There will not be two student-id fields, for instance.
Example
The fields in the student table can be described as follows:
student-id: is an ID assigned to each of the students
Data
Data, in the context of databases, refers to all the single items that are stored in a database,
either individually or as a set. Data in a database is primarily stored in database tables, which
are organized into columns that dictate the data types stored therein. So, if the “Customers”
table has a column titled “Telephone Number,” whose data type is defined as “Number,” then
only numerals can be stored in that column.
Data, even in a database, is rarely useful in its raw form. For example, in a banking application,
data is the whole collection of bank account numbers; bank customers’ names, addresses, and
ages; bank transactions and so on. Being presented with this mass of numbers will simply
overwhelm the average human -- an individual simply cannot process it all. However, when
data is arranged relationally, it then becomes information, which is much more useful to users.
For example, if the mass of numbers stored in the banking database above is used to extract
the names and addresses of the top 100 clients by size of deposit, then the data has been used
to provide useful information.
Information
Information is stimuli that has meaning in some context for its receiver. When information is
entered into and stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data. After processing (such
as formatting and printing), output data can again be perceived as information.
When information is packaged or used for understanding or doing something, it is known
as knowledge.
Management

A database management system (DBMS) is system software for creating and

managing databases. The DBMS provides users and programmers with a systematic way
to create, retrieve, update and manage data.A DBMS makes it possible for end users to
create, read, update and delete data in a database. The DBMS essentially serves as an
interface between the database and end users or application programs, ensuring that data
is consistently organized and remains easily accessible.
Popular types of DBMSes

Popular database models and their management systems include:

Relational database management system (RDMS) - adaptable to most use cases, but
RDBMS Tier-1 products can be quite expensive.

NoSQL DBMS - well-suited for loosely defined data structures that may evolve over time.

In-memory database management system (IMDBMS) - provides faster response times and
better performance.

Columnar database management system (CDBMS) - well-suited for data warehousesthat

have a large number of similar data items.

Cloud-based data management system - the cloud service provider is responsible for
providing and maintaining the DBMS.

Advantages of a DBMS

Using a DBMS to store and manage data comes with advantages, but also overhead. One
of the biggest advantages of using a DBMS is that it lets end users and application
programmers access and use the same data while managing data integrity. Data is better
protected and maintained when it can be shared using a DBMS instead of creating new
iterations of the same data stored in new files for every new application. The DBMS
provides a central store of data that can be accessed by multiple users in a controlled
manner.

Central storage and management of data within the DBMS provides:

 Data abstraction and independence

 Data security
 A locking mechanism for concurrent access
 An efficient handler to balance the needs of multiple applications using the same data
 The ability to swiftly recover from crashes and errors, including restartability and
recoverability
 Robust data integrity capabilities
 Logging and auditing of activity
 Simple access using a standard application programming interface (API)
 Uniform administration procedures for data

Another advantage of a DBMS is that it can be used to impose a logical, structured

organization on the data. A DBMS delivers economy of scale for processing large amounts
of data because it is optimized for such operations.

A DBMS can also provide many views of a single database schema. A view defines what
data the user sees and how that user sees the data. The DBMS provides a level of
abstraction between the conceptual schema that defines the logical structure of the
database and the physical schema that describes the files, indexes and other physical
mechanisms used by the database. When a DBMS is used, systems can be modified much
more easily when business requirements change. New categories of data can be added to
the database without disrupting the existing system and applications can be insulated from
how data is structured and stored.

Of course, a DBMS must perform additional work to provide these advantages, thereby
bringing with it the overhead. A DBMS will use more memory and CPU than a simple file
storage system. And, of course, different types of DBMSes will require different types and
levels of system resources.

Changes in how DBMS are built, sold and serviced

By 2019, the most significant trends in the DBMS sector were how databases were
constructed and how they were used. Open source DBMS were rapidly gaining traction. In
fact, Gartner projected that 10% of total spending on database software by 2019 due to
increased enterprise adoption. Most mainstream IT organizations use open source software
in some of their mission-critical operations.
 Information Management

What is Information Management?

Information, as we know it today, includes both electronic and physical information. The
organizational structure must be capable of managing this information throughout the
information lifecycle regardless of source or format (data, paper documents, electronic
documents, audio, video, etc.) for delivery through multiple channels that may include
cell phones and web interfaces.

According to Wikipedia, Information management (IM) is the collection and

management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that
information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake
in, or a right to that information. Management means the organization of and control
over the structure, processing and delivery of information.

Information management environments are comprised of legacy information resident in

line of business applications, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Electronic
Records Management (ERM), Business Process Management (BPM), Taxonomy and
Metadata, Knowledge Management (KM), Web Content Management (WCM),
Document Management (DM) and Social Media Governance technology solutions and
best practices. Information management requires the adoption and adherence to
guiding principles that include:

 Information assets are corporate assets. This principle should be acknowledged or

agreed upon across the organization otherwise any business case and support for IM
will be weak.
 Information must be made available and shared. Of course not all information is open to
anyone, but in principle the sharing of information helps the use and exploitation of
corporate knowledge.
 Information the organization needs to keep is managed and retained corporately. In
other words the retention and archiving, of information. If you save a document today,
you expect it to be secured and still available to you tomorrow.

Information management is a corporate responsibility that needs to be addressed and

followed from the upper most senior levels of management to the front line worker.
Organizations must be held and must hold its employees accountable to capture,
manage, store, share, preserve and deliver information appropriately and responsibly.
Part of that responsibility lies in training the organization to become familiar with the
policies, processes, technologies and best practices in IM.