Database Management SystemDBMS

Un sistema di gestione di database (DBMS) è uno strumento software che gestisce i dati.

What is a database management system (DBMS)?

A database management system (DBMS) is a software tool that enables users to manage a database easily. It allows users to access and interact with the underlying data in the database. These actions can range from simply querying data to defining database schemas that fundamentally affect the database structure.

Database tasks in a DBMS

The typical database administrative tasks that can be performed using a DBMS include:

Configuring authentication and authorization.

Providing data backups and snapshots. DBMS can simplify the backup process of databases by providing a simpler and straightforward interface to manage backups and snapshots. They can even move these backups to third-party locations such as cloud storage for safekeeping.

Performance tuning. DBMS can monitor the performance of databases using integrated tools and enable users to tune databases by creating optimized indexes. It reduces I/O usage to optimize SQL queries, enabling the best performance from the database.

Common components that are universal across all DBMS software, including:

Storage engine

Query language

Query processor

Optimization engine

Metadata catalogue

Log manager

Reporting and monitoring tools

Data utilities

Storage engine

The storage engine is the core component of the DBMS that interacts with the file system at an OS level to store data.

Query language

A database access language is required for interacting with a database, from creating databases to simply inserting or retrieving data. A proper DBMS must support one or multiple query languages and language dialects. Structured query language (SQL) and MongoDB Query Language (MQL) are two query languages that are used to interact with the databases.

Data Definition Language (DDL). This consists of commands that can be used to define database schemas or modify the structure of database objects.

Data Manipulation Language (DML). Commands that directly deal with the data in the database. All CRUD operations come under DML.

Data Control Language (DCL). This deals with the permissions and other access controls of the database.

Transaction Control Language (TCL). Command which deals with internal database transactions.

Types of database management systems

There are many different types of DBMS, yet we can categorize the most commonly used DBMS into three types.

Relational database management systems (RDBMS)

This is the most common type of DBMS. They are used to interact with databases that contain structured data in a table format with predefined relationships. Moreover, they use structured query language (SQL) to interact with databases. Microsoft SQL, MySQL, and Oracle Database are some popular DBMS that come under this category.

Document database management systems (DoDBMS)

These DoDBMS are used to manage databases that contain data stored in JSON-like structures with limited or no relationship structure. They are powered by query languages such as MongoDB query language (MQL) for database operations. MongoDB, Azure Cosmos DB are some prominent examples of DoDBMS.

Columnar database management systems (CDBMS)

As the name suggests, this type of DBMS is used to manage columnar databases that store data in columns instead of rows, emphasizing high performance. Some databases that use columnar format are Apache Cassandra, Apache HBase, etc.

Advantages of a DBMS

DBMS was introduced to solve the fundamental issues associated with storing, managing, accessing, securing, and auditing data in traditional file systems. Software users and organizations can gain the following benefits by using DBMS:

Increased data security

Simple data sharing

Data integration

Abstraction & independence

DBMS (Database Management System) advantages are much more than a manual record system.