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Database Management
What is database management? Why is it useful? According to Wisegeek, "A database
management system is a suite of software applications that together make it possible for
people or businesses to store, modify, and extract information from a database. Sound like
something found only in bank vaults? Its not. You can find database management systems
many places in your everyday life"“ (Wisegeek, 2007). This paper will outline the
functions of a database management system and will discuss the security, concurrency and
control involved. The paper will also discuss the role of a database administrator and its
importance.
Functions of database management system
Just like that drop of blood that makes its way through the circulatory system from the
fingertips of the body back to the left ventricle of the heart through a network of arteries
and veins, only to be refreshed and pumped back out to some other part of the body, so do
those bits and bytes migrate through the accounting information system (AIS) from the
fingertips of your computer keyboard, through the IT network, to the central database (DB)
stored on your company management information system (MIS) server"“ (Steve Jarvis,
2007, para. 1)..
To the point, a database is a collection of data compiled for the purpose of retrieval and
manipulation. Databases being used everywhere in today world. When we go to the
grocery store and enter our supersaver membership card information our data is retrieved
from a database to confirm our membership. When consumers log onto a website and
request a newsletter or more information from a site the information they enter will be
maintained in a database. The main functions of a database are the ability to input, retrieve
and manipulate data. There are many ways and software solutions that can accomplish
these tasks.
A small business with a client base of 100 customers could use a basic spreadsheet to
maintain these records but as the company grows it would run into problems. Data could
be become inaccurate or repeated throughout the spreadsheet. While if that same company
started out using a database software to maintain these client records as the company grew
new information could be added and the software could help insure that no duplications
orerrors were present in the data.
No matter how good your computerized system is the data retrieved for use and
manipulation is only as good as the original information entered in the beginning of the
