RDBMS

What is RDBMS ?

RDBMS (relational database management system)

A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a collection of programs and capabilities that enable IT teams and others to create, update, administer and otherwise interact with a relational database.

A relational?database?management system (RDBMS) is a collection of programs and capabilities that enable IT teams and others to create, update, administer and otherwise interact with a?relational database. RDBMSes store data in the form of tables, with most commercial relational database management systems using?Structured Query Language?(SQL) to access the database. However, since SQL was invented after the initial development of the relational model, it is not necessary for RDBMS use.

The RDBMS is the most popular database system among organizations across the world. It provides a dependable method of storing and retrieving large amounts of data while offering a combination of system performance and ease of implementation.

Features of relational database management systems

Elements of the relational database management system that overarch the basic relational database are so intrinsic to operations that it is hard to dissociate the two in practice.

The most basic RDBMS functions are related to create, read, update and delete operations -- collectively known as?CRUD. They form the foundation of a well-organized system that promotes consistent treatment of data.

The RDBMS typically provides?data dictionaries?and metadata collections that are useful in data handling. These programmatically support well-defined data structures and relationships. Data storage management is a common capability of the RDBMS, and this has come to be defined by data objects that range from binary large object -- or blob -- strings to?stored procedures. Data objects like this extend the scope of basic relational database operations and can be handled in a variety of ways in different RDBMSes.

The most common means of data access for the RDBMS is SQL. Its main language components comprise data manipulation language and data definition language statements. Extensions are available for development efforts that pair SQL use with common programming languages, such as the Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL),?Java?and .NET.

RDBMSes use complex?algorithms?that support multiple?concurrent?user access to the database while maintaining data integrity. Security management, which enforces policy-based access, is yet another overlay service that the RDBMS provides for the basic database as it is used in enterprise settings.

RDBMSes support the work of database administrators (DBAs) who must manage and monitor database activity. Utilities help automate data loading and database backup. RDBMSes manage log files that track system performance based on selected operational parameters. This enables measurement of database usage, capacity and performance, particularly query performance. RDBMSes provide graphical interfaces that help DBAs visualize database activity.

While not limited solely to the RDBMS, ACID compliance is an attribute of relational technology that has proved important in enterprise computing. These capabilities have particularly suited RDBMSes for handling business transactions.

As RDBMSes have matured, they have achieved increasingly higher levels of query optimization, and they have become key parts of reporting, analytics and?data warehousing?applications for businesses as well. RDBMSes are intrinsic to operations of a variety of enterprise applications and are at the center of most?master data management?systems.

Advantages of relational database management system

The use of an RDBMS can be beneficial to most organizations; the systematic view of raw data helps companies better understand and execute the information while enhancing the decision-making process. The use of tables to store data also improves the security of information stored in the databases. Users are able to customize access and set barriers to limit the content that is made available. This feature makes the RDBMS particularly useful to companies in which the manager decides what data is provided to employees and customers.

Furthermore, RDBMSes make it easy to add new data to the system or alter existing tables while ensuring consistency with the previously available content.

Other advantages of the RDBMS include:

• Flexibility -- updating data is more efficient since the changes only need to be made in one place.
• Maintenance -- database administrators can easily maintain, control and update data in the database. Backups also become easier since automation tools included in the RDBMS automate these tasks.
• Data structure -- the table format used in RDBMSes is easy to understand and provides an organized and structural manner through which entries are matched by firing queries.

On the other hand, relational database management systems do not come without their disadvantages. For example, in order to implement an RDBMS, special software must be purchased. This introduces an additional cost for execution. Once the software is obtained, the setup process can be tedious since it requires millions of lines of content to be transferred into the RDBMS tables. This process may require the additional help of a programmer or a team of data entry specialists. Special attention must be paid to the data during entry to ensure sensitive information is not placed into the wrong hands.

Some other drawbacks of the RDBMS include the character limit placed on certain fields in the tables and the inability to fully understand new forms of data -- such as complex numbers, designs and images.

Furthermore, while isolated databases can be created using an RDBMS, the process requires large chunks of information to be separated from each other. Connecting these large amounts of data to form the isolated database can be very complicated.

Uses of RDBMS

Relational database management systems are frequently used in disciplines such as manufacturing, human resources and banking. The system is also useful for airlines that need to store ticket service and passenger documentation information as well as universities maintaining student databases.

Some examples of specific systems that use RDBMS include IBM, Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQLServer and PostgreSQL.