By - Sankalpa Dahal
A database is a structured collection of data.
Major uses of database application systems include data storage, retrieval, and management for applications such as websites, customer relationship management (CRM), and inventory systems.
A database is a collection of data, while a Database Management System (DBMS) is software that manages and organizes that data, providing functionalities for storage, retrieval, and manipulation of data. The database is the container, and the DBMS is the software that interacts with the data within that container.
DBMS, or Database Management System, is software that facilitates the creation, organization, and management of databases, allowing for efficient storage, retrieval, and manipulation of data.
Two advantages of using a database rather than a number of separate files are:
1. Reduced data redundancy: Databases are designed to store data in a structured and organized way, which helps to minimize data redundancy. This means that each piece of data is stored only once, rather than being duplicated in multiple files. This reduces storage space requirements and ensures data consistency.
2. Improved data integrity:: Databases incorporate data integrity constraints, such as data types, primary keys, and foreign keys, to ensure the accuracy and consistency of data. These constraints prevent invalid data from being entered into the database and maintain relationships between different data items. This helps to protect data from corruption and errors.
Domains and Tuples in Databases are:
Domain A domain is a set of possible values that an attribute can hold. It defines the range of valid data for a particular attribute. For instance, the domain of an attribute representing age could be all positive integers.
Tuples A tuple is a single row in a database table. It represents a collection of related data values, corresponding to the attributes of the table. Each tuple represents a unique record or entity. For example, a tuple in a student table might contain values for student ID, name, age, and department.
Characteristics of a Good Data Model:
1. Accuracy
2. Simplicity
3. Efficiency
4. Flexibility
5. Scalability
6. Maintainability
An E-R diagram is a graphical representation of the relationships between entities in a database. It is a conceptual data model that depicts the structure and organization of data in a database. E-R diagrams are widely used in system design to visualize and understand the relationships between entities and their attributes.
Advantages of E-R Diagrams in System Design:
1. Clear Representation of Relationships
2. Enhance Communication and Collaboration
3. Identifying Data Requirements
4. Detecting Data Anomalies
5. Facilitating Database Design
Database normalization is a process of organizing data in a relational database to minimize redundancy and improve data integrity. It involves dividing a database into smaller, more manageable tables and establishing relationships between them. Normalization is achieved by following a set of guidelines or rules called normal forms. There are different levels of normalization, each with its own set of rules.
First Normal Form (1NF):
1NF is the basic level of normalization. It ensures that each table in the database has a primary key, which is a unique identifier for each record. Additionally, each attribute in a table must be atomic, meaning it cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts.
Second Normal Form (2NF):
2NF builds on 1NF by eliminating redundant non-key attributes that depend only on a part of the primary key. In other words, any non-key attribute must be fully dependent on the entire primary key, not just a portion of it.
Third Normal Form (3NF):
3NF eliminates transitive dependencies, which occur when non-key attributes depend on other non-key attributes. In other words, all non-key attributes must be directly dependent on the primary key, not indirectly through other non-key attributes.
Centralized databases offer several advantages over distributed or decentralized approaches::
1. Simplified Data Management
2. Data Integrity and Consistency
3. Improved Performance and Scalability
4. Reduced Data Redundancy
5. Enhanced Security
Data security refers to the practices and measures that protect data from unauthorized access, modification, or destruction. It encompasses a wide range of techniques and procedures designed to safeguard sensitive information from a variety of threats, including cyberattacks, human error, and hardware or software failures.
Here are some of the key reasons why data security is important:
1. Data encryption
2. Vulnerability management
3. Security awareness training
4. Up-To Date Security Patches
A database is a structured collection of data that is designed to be easily accessed, managed, and updated. Databases are used in a wide variety of applications, including e-commerce, banking, and customer relationship management (CRM).
DBMSs provide a number of advantages, such as:
1. Reduced data redundancy: Data is stored only once in a database, which reduces the amount of storage space required and helps to ensure data consistency.
2. Improved data integrity: DBMSs enforce data integrity constraints, such as data types, primary keys, and foreign keys, to ensure the accuracy and consistency of data.
3. Improved data management: DBMSs provide a number of tools and features that make it easier to manage data, such as data backup and recovery, and data warehousing.
4. Improved data sharing: DBMSs make it easier to share data between different applications.
RDBMS stands for Relational Database Management System. It is a type of database management system that stores data in tables and uses relationships between tables to organize data. RDBMSs are based on the relational model, which was developed by Edgar Codd in the 1970s.
The main functions of an RDBMS are:
1. Data Security:
2. Data Query Language (DQL):
3. Data Integrity:
4. Data Manipulation Language (DML):
Data Definition Language Or DDL defines the structure of the database, including tables, columns, and relationships.
Data Manipulation Language Or DML is used to insert, update, and delete data in the database
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is a programming language designed to manage data in relational databases. SQL allows you to create, read, update, and delete data in a database.
Data security refers to the practices and measures that protect data from unauthorized access, modification, or destruction. which includes measures such as encryption, access control, and data backup.