I.

Getting Started

“You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.” – Daniel Keys
Moran

II. Discussion

Most organizations, end-users, and huge industries today handle their data in our digital world.
This can be done using a variety of platforms, one of which is a database.

A database helps the business or company to improve their productivity and efficiency to handle
queries and multiple users. This means that a database helps the company’s growth. For example,
managers use data to come out with better decisions that will contribute for the sales. (Who is the
target market? Check the age and region of your consumers' demographic profile.)

At this moment, we are going to discuss the significance of the database. Let start now...

What is a Database?

A database is essentially a collection of organized data.

A collection of related data that is organized in such a way that it can be accessed, maintained, and
updated easily. Data can be any piece of information, such as your school's name. A database is an
organized collection of related pieces of information that may be used to perform various operations.

▪ You open your playlist on your smartphone when you want to listen to your favorite music. The playlist
is a database in this example.

▪ Your picture gallery is a database when you snap a photo and post it to a social networking site like
Facebook.

▪ A shopping cart is a database that you use when you explore an e-commerce website to buy shoes,
clothing, and other items.

In addition, the database management system is responsible for the database. It's a software
program that allows you to manage data and organize it into tables (relations) that are organized into
rows (or records) and columns (or fields). A database utilizes a language for communication called
Structured Query Language (SQL) to access, update, alter, and use queries for that data.

What is Database Management System (DBMS)?

Before we start the discussion, I want to ask if you have knowledge of database management
systems? DBMS stands for Database Management System. It is a collection of programs that manage the
database structure and control access to the data in the database.

Let's look at this definition in more detail; The Database Management System (DBMS) is a
collection of applications that allow users to create and maintain databases (Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S.
B., 2011). A database management system (DBMS) is a software program that makes defining,
constructing, modifying, and sharing databases easier for a variety of users and applications.
 For us to further understand the functions of DBMS, let us uncover the different terms involved
in this.

Defining. a database entail defining the data types, structures, and limitations that will be stored in it.
The DBMS also stores database definitions or descriptive information in the form of a database catalog
or dictionary, which is referred to as Meta – data.

Constructing. The process of storing data on a storage media managed by the DBMS.

Manipulating. Querying a database to retrieve specific data, updating the database to reflect changes in
the real world, and creating reports from the data are all instances of database functions.

Sharing. A database allows numerous users and applications to interact with it at the same time.

An application software. Connects to a database by sending queries or data requests to the

Oracle, MySQL, FileMaker Pro, Lotus Notes, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, dBase, FoxPro, SQLite,
IBM DB2, LibreOffice Base, MariaDB, and Microsoft Access are some examples of database management
systems that provide you with the software tools you need to organize data in a flexible manner. These
DBMS all have the ability to add, edit, and delete data from a database. It makes use of database
commands to generate reports that summarize selected information.

The relational database management system is used by the majority of businesses today,
particularly those that deal with significant amounts of data. RDBMS stands for Relational Database
Management System. A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a program that lets you
create, edit, and manage a database. The SQL language is used to access databases in most relational
database management systems (codecademy, 2021).

Advantages of the DBMS

The DBMS serves to make data management more efficient and effective, as described in the book
Database Principles (see sources). A database management system (DBMS), in particular, has the
following benefits:

✓ Improved Data Sharing. The database management system (DBMS) aids in the creation of an
environment where end users have greater access to more and better managed data. End users can
respond rapidly to changes in their environment with such access.

✓ Improved Data Security. The greater the number of people that have access to the data, the greater
the possibility of a data security breach. Corporations devote a significant amount of time, effort, and
money to ensuring that company data is effectively utilized. A database managementsystem (DBMS)
provides a framework for effectively enforcing data privacy and security standards.

✓ Better Data Integration. Wider access to well-managed data encourages an integrated perspective of
the organization's activities and a better understanding of the broad picture. It's a lot simpler to observe
how decisions made in one part of the organization influence the rest of the company.

✓ Minimized Data Inconsistency. When multiple versions of the same data exist in different places, data
inconsistency occurs.
✓ Improved Data Access. While searching for extremely precise information in the context of a business
emergency may take hours with a typical file-based method, DBMS decreases this time to seconds. This
is a significant benefit of DBMS since we can create simple queries that will search the database for you
and get the information as quickly as possible because to its built-in searching capabilities.

✓ Improved Decision Making. Better data management and access allow for the generation of higher-
quality data on which to make better judgments. The quality of the data used to create the information
is determined by that data's quality. Data quality refers to a holistic strategy to ensuring data
correctness, validity, and timeliness. While the database management system (DBMS) does not ensure
data quality, it does provide a foundation for data quality activities.

✓ Increased End – user Productivity. End users are entitled to make fast, informed decisions that can
mean the difference between success and failure in the global economy due to the availability of data
and the technologies that turn it into useful knowledge.

Disadvantages of DBMS

The tutorialink.com (2020) website lists the following drawbacks of the database management
system (DBMS).

✓ Increased costs. Database systems need advanced technology and software, as well as highly trained
employees. Maintaining the hardware, software, and staff necessary to operate and administer a
database system can be costly. When database systems are installed, the expenses of training, licensing,
and regulatory compliance are sometimes ignored.

✓ Management complexity. Database systems interact with a wide range of technologies and have a
major influence on a company's resources and culture. To guarantee that the changes brought on by the
implementation of a database system assist the organization achieve its goals, they must be handled
effectively. Because database systems store essential corporate data that is accessible from many
sources, security concerns must be reviewed on a regular basis.

✓ Maintaining currency. You must maintain your database system up to date in order to enhance its
efficiency. As a result, you must update all components on a regular basis and apply the newest patches
and security measures. Due to the fast advancement of database technology, staff training expenses are
often a substantial source of vendor dependency. Companies may be hesitant to switch database
vendors due to significant investments in technology and people training.

✓ Frequent upgrade/replacement cycles. Database management system vendors frequently upgrade