Databases are used in all kinds of industries, from ordinary gadgets to the most sophisticated flight control systems in spacecraft. Let’s find out what they are and who develops them.
A brief look at the essentials
Humankind has accumulated a vast amount of information about various objects and phenomena. All of this accumulated data is stored electronically and used in databases (DB). A database is a structured set of data stored and processed according to certain rules. The permanent storage of information are often files. Due to their structured nature, it is very easy to enter and retrieve the necessary information from the database.
In the early days of web development the necessary data was stored in the code of the page. Now it is much easier. Necessary data can be extracted with the help of scripts.
In the database, there are certain algorithms for finding and storing information, allowing for quick retrieval of the required information. A very important parameter is the correlation of information with each other. If you change one line in the database, it leads to changes in other lines, which makes working with such databases much easier.
Managing a database
A database management system (DBMS) is special software used to create and manage information. It supports database languages and is responsible for backing up and restoring information after a failure. The management system allows you to quickly process user requests and output the information you need.
The DBMS includes:
- a kernel responsible for data management;
- language processor;
- runtime support subsystem;
- external utilities
Management systems are classified according to the following parameters:
- by data model;
- by degree of distribution;
- by the method of accessing the database.
Let’s consider the main database management systems commonly used at the moment.
MySQL
This is one of the most widely used management systems, used by Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and other companies. This system is very user-friendly, fast and flexible. It supports various types of tables and their number is constantly increasing. There is no limit to the number of users that can access the information in this DBMS, so it is used in many projects.
Used modes of work with MySQL – text and graphical. Thanks to a special application, users do not need to know SQL commands. The database administration can be done through a browser.
Oracle
Many larger companies work with this control system. It is stable, fast, and reliable. In addition, the system is characterized by high security and high data protection. However, this DBMS is not cheap, so not all small companies can afford it.
