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Formally, "database" refers to the data themselves and supporting data structures. Databases are created to operate large quantities of information by inputting, storing, retrieving, and managing that information. Databases are set up so that one set of software programs provides all users with access to all the data. A "database management system" (DBMS) is a suite of computer software providing the interface between users and a database or databases. Because they are so closely related, the term "database" when used casually often refers to both a DBMS and the data it manipulates. Outside the world of professional information technology, the term database is sometimes used casually to refer to any collection of data (perhaps a spreadsheet, maybe even a card index). This article is concerned only with databases where the size and usage requirements necessitate use of a database management system.[1] The interactions catered for by most existing DBMSs fall into four main groups: Data definition – Defining new data structures for a database, removing data structures from the database, modifying the structure of existing data. Update – Inserting, modifying, and deleting data. Retrieval – Obtaining information either for end-user queries and reports or for processing by applications. Administration – Registering and monitoring users, enforcing data security, monitoring performance, maintaining data integrity, dealing with concurrency control, and recovering information if the system fails. A DBMS is responsible for maintaining the integrity and security of stored data, and for recovering information if the system fails. Both a database and its DBMS conform to the principles of a particular database model.[2] "Database system" refers collectively to the database model, database management system, and database.[3] Physically, database servers are dedicated computers that hold the actual databases and run only the DBMS and related software. Database servers are usually multiprocessor computers, with generous memory and RAID disk arrays used for stable storage. RAID is used for recovery of data if any of the disks fail. Hardware database accelerators, connected to one or more servers via a high-speed channel, are also used in large volume transaction processing environments. DBMSs are found at the heart of most database applications. DBMSs may be built around a custom multitasking kernel with built-in networking support, but modern DBMSs typically rely on a standard operating system to provide these functions.[citation needed] Since DBMSs comprise a significant economical market, computer and storage vendors often take into account DBMS requirements in their own development plans.[citation needed] Databases and DBMSs can be categorized according to the database model(s) that they support (such as relational or XML), the type(s) of computer they run on (from a server cluster to a mobile phone), the query language(s) used to access the database (such as SQL or XQuery), and their internal engineering, which affects performance, scalability, resilience, and security. |
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