Advantages of Dbms
Advantages of Dbms
Advantages of Dbms
A database can be
limited to a single desktop computer or can be stored in large server machines, like the IBM Mainframe.
There are various database management systems available in the market. Some of them are Sybase,
Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle RDBMS, PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.
Warehouse of Information
The database management systems are warehouses of information, where large amount of data can be
stored. The common examples in commercial applications are inventory data, personnel data, etc. It often
happens that a common man uses a database management system, without even realizing, that it is
being used. The best examples for the same, would be the address book of a cell phone, digital diaries,
etc. Both these equipments store data in their internal database.
Defining Attributes
The unique data field in a table is assigned a primary key. The primary key helps in the identification of
data. It also checks for duplicates within the same table, thereby reducing data redundancy. There are
tables, which have a secondary key in addition to the primary key. The secondary key is also called
'foreign key'. The secondary key refers to the primary key of another table, thus establishing a relationship
between the two tables.
Systematic Storage
The data is stored in the form of tables. The tables consists of rows and columns. The primary and
secondary key help to eliminate data redundancy, enabling systematic storage of data.
Changes to Schema
The table schema can be changed and it is not platform dependent. Therefore, the tables in the system
can be edited to add new columns and rows without hampering the applications, that depend on that
particular database.
No Language Dependence
The database management systems are not language dependent. Therefore, they can be used with
various languages and on various platforms.
Table Joins
The data in two or more tables can be integrated into a single table. This enables to reduce the size of the
database and also helps in easy retrieval of data.
Data Security
Data is the most important asset. Therefore, there is a need for data security. Database management
systems help to keep the data secured.
Privileges
Different privileges can be given to different users. For example, some users can edit the database, but
are not allowed to delete the contents of the database.
Data Consistency
Data consistency ensures a consistent view of data to every user. It includes the accuracy, validity and
integrity of related data. The data in the database must satisfy certain consistency constraints, for
example, the age of a candidate appearing for an exam should be of number datatype and in the range of
20-25. When the database is updated, these constraints are checked by the database systems.
The commonly used database management system is called relational database management system
(RDBMS). The most important advantage of database management systems is the systemetic storage of
data, by maintaining the relationship between the data members. The data is stored as tuples in a
RDBMS.
The advent of object oriented programming gave rise to the concept of object oriented database
management systems. These systems combine properties like inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism,
abstraction with atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability, also called ACID properties of DBMS.
Database management systems have brought about systematization in data storage, along with data
security.