What Is a Database?

What is a database? * A database is a structured collection of data. The data is typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality (for example, the availability of rooms in hotels), in a way that supports processes requiring this information (for example, finding a hotel with vacancies). * The term database is correctly applied to the data and their supporting data structures, and not to the database management system (DBMS). The database data collection with DBMS is called a database system. * The term database system implies that the data is managed to some level of quality (measured in terms of accuracy, availability, usability, and resilience) and this in turn often implies the use of a general-purpose database management system (DBMS).A general-purpose DBMS is typically a complex software system that meets many usage requirements to properly maintain its databases which are often large and complex. * This is specially the case with client-server, near-real time transactional systems, in which multiple users have access to data, data is concurrently entered and inquired for in ways that preclude single-thread batch processing. Most of the complexities of those requirements are still present with personal, desktop-based database systems.

Types of people involved:
Three types of people are involved with a general-purpose DBMS: 1. DBMS developers - These are the people that design and build the DBMS product, and the only ones who touch its code. They are typically the employees of a DBMS vendor (e.g., Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Sybase), or, in the case of Open source DBMSs (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL), volunteers or people supported by interested companies and organizations. They are typically skilled systems programmers. DBMS development is a complicated task, and some of the popular DBMSs have been under development and enhancement (also to follow progress in technology) for decades. 2. Application