What is DBMS (Database Management System) ?
A database management system 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 process 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 datato be stored in the database. The database definition or descriptive information is also stored in the database in the form of database catalog or dictionary, which is sometimes called as meta data.
Constructing a database is the process of storing the data on some storage medium that is controlled by the DBMS. Manipulating a database includes functions such asquering the database to reterieve the specific data., updating the database to reflect changes in the main world, and generating reports from the data. Sharing a database allows multiple users and programs to access database simultaneously. A query typically causes some data to be reterieved. A transaction may cause some data to be read and some data to be written into the database.
DBMS include protecting the database and maintaing it over a long period of time. Protection includes system protection against hardware or software malfunction (or crashes) and security protection against unautorized or malicious access. A typical large database may have a life cycle of many years, so the DBMS must be able to maintain the database system by allowing the system to evolve as requirements change over time.
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