Database Management System (DBMS) aids in storage, control, manipulation and retrieval of data. This article lists the advantages of database management systems.
Database is a software program, used to store, delete, update and retrieve data. 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.
The advantages of the database management systems can be enumerated as under:
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