Purpose of Database System

Data:
It is a collection of information. The facts that can be recorded and which have implicit meaning known as
'data'.

What is a Database?
Database is collection of data which is related by some aspect. Data is collection of
facts and figures which can be processed to produce information. Mostly data represents recordable facts. Data helps
in producing information which is based on facts. A database management system stores data, in such a way which
is easier to retrieve, manipulate and helps to produce information.
So a database is a collection of related data that we can use for
 Defining - specifying types of data
 Constructing - storing & populating
 Manipulating - querying, updating, reporting

What is DBMS?
Database Management System (DBMS) is a software for storing and retrieving users’
data while considering appropriate security measures. It consists of a group of programs which manipulate the
database. The DBMS accepts the request for data from an application and instructs the operating system to provide
the specific data. In large systems, a DBMS helps users and other third-party software to store and retrieve data.
or
It is a collection of programs that enables user to create and maintain a database. In other words it is general-purpose
software that provides the users with the processes of defining, constructing and manipulating the database for
various applications.

Purpose of DBMS:

The purpose of DBMS is to transform the following :

 Data into information.

 Information into knowledge.
 Knowledge to the action.

The diagram given below explains the process as to how the transformation of data to information to
knowledge to action happens respectively in the DBMS.
 The typical file processing system is supported by a conventional operating system. The system stores
permanent records in various files, and it needs different application programs to extract records from, and add
records to, the appropriate files.
A file processing system has a number of major disadvantages:
1.Data redundancy and inconsistency:

In file processing, every user group maintains its own files for handling its data processing applications.

Example:
Consider the UNIVERSITY database. Here, two groups of users might be the course registration
personnel and the accounting office. The accounting office also keeps data on registration and related billing
information, whereas the registration office keeps track of student courses and grades. Storing the same data
multiple times is called data redundancy. This redundancy leads to several problems.

 Need to perform a single logical update multiple times.

 Storage space is wasted.
 Files that represent the same data may become inconsistent.
 Data inconsistency is the various copies of the same data may no larger Agree.
Example:
One user group may enter a student's birth date erroneously as JAN-19-1984, whereas the other
user groups may enter the correct value of JAN-29-1984.

2. Difficulty in accessing data

File processing environments do not allow needed data to be retrieved in a
convenient and efficient manner.
3.Data isolation
Because data are scattered in various files, and files may be in different formats, writing
new application programs to retrieve the appropriate data is difficult.

4.Integrity problems
The data values stored in the database must satisfy certain types of consistency
constraints.
Example:
The balance of certain types of bank accounts may never fall below a prescribed amount .
Developers enforce these constraints in the system by addition appropriate code in the various application programs

5.Atomicity problems
Atomic means the transaction must happen in its entirety or not at all. It is difficult to ensure
atomicity in a conventional file processing system.
Example:
Consider a program to transfer $50 from account A to account B. If a system failure occurs during the
execution of the program, it is possible that the $50 was removed from account A but was not credited to account B,
resulting in an inconsistent database state.
6.Concurrent access anomalies

For the sake of overall performance of the system and faster response, many systems
allow multiple users to update the data simultaneously. In such an environment, interaction of concurrent updates is
possible and may result in inconsistent data. To guard against this possibility, the system must maintain some form
of supervision. But supervision is difficult to provide because data may be accessed by many different application
programs that have not been coordinated previously.

Example: When several reservation clerks try to assign a seat on an airline flight, the system should ensure that
each seat can be accessed by only one clerk at a time for assignment to a passenger.

7. Security problems
Enforcing security constraints to the file processing system is difficult.

Database system offer so many solutions to all these problems

Uses of DBMS
The main uses of DBMS are as follows −
 Data independence and efficient access of data.
 Application Development time reduces.
 Security and data integrity.
 Uniform data administration.
 Concurrent access and recovery from crashes.
APPLICATION OF DATABASE:
 Banking: all transactions
 Airlines: reservations, schedules
 Universities: registration, grades
 Sales: customers, products, purchases
 Manufacturing: production, inventory, orders, supply chain
 Human resources: employee records, salaries, tax deductions
 Telecommunication: Call History, Billing
 Credit card transactions: Purchase details, Statements

There are the following differences between DBMS and File systems:
Basis DBMS Approach File System Approach
Meaning DBMS is a collection of data. In The file system is a collection of
DBMS, the user is not required to write data. In this system, the user has to
the procedures. write the procedures for managing
the database.
Sharing of data Due to the centralized approach, data Data is distributed in many files, and
sharing is easy. it may be of different formats, so it
isn't easy to share data.
Data Abstraction DBMS gives an abstract view of data The file system provides the detail
that hides the details. of the data representation and
storage of data.
Security and Protection DBMS provides a good protection It isn't easy to protect a file under the
mechanism. file system.
Recovery Mechanism DBMS provides a crash recovery The file system doesn't have a crash
mechanism, i.e., DBMS protects the mechanism, i.e., if the system
user from system failure. crashes while entering some data,
then the content of the file will be
lost.
Manipulation Techniques DBMS contains a wide variety of The file system can't efficiently store
sophisticated techniques to store and and retrieve the data.
retrieve the data.
Concurrency Problems DBMS takes care of Concurrent access In the File system, concurrent access
of data using some form of locking. has many problems like redirecting
the file while deleting some
information or updating some
information.
Where to use Database approach used in large File system approach used in large
systems which interrelate many files. systems which interrelate many files.
Cost The database system is expensive to The file system approach is cheaper
design. to design.
Data Redundancy and Due to the centralization of the In this, the files and application
Inconsistency database, the problems of data programs are created by different
redundancy and inconsistency are programmers so that there exists a
controlled. lot of duplication of data which may
lead to inconsistency.
Structure The database structure is complex to The file system approach has a
design. simple structure.
Data Independence n this system, Data Independence In the File system approach, there
exists, and it can be of two types.1. exists no Data Independence.
Logical Data Independence and
Physical Data Independence.
Integrity Constraints Integrity Constraints are easy to apply. Integrity Constraints are difficult to
implement in file system.
Flexibility Changes are often a necessity to the The flexibility of the system is less
content of the data stored in any system, as compared to the DBMS approach.
and these changes are more easily with
a database approach.
Examples Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase etc. Cobol, C++ etc.