Introduction to Databases

Introduction to Databases

What is a Database?

In its simplest term, a Database is an organized collection of related data. It is a structure that serves as a repository for end user data.

A database is also commonly defined as a shared collection of logically related data and its description, designed to meet the information needs of an organization.

Examples of Databases

1. When you purchase goods from a supermarket, it is likely that a database is accessed.

2. When you purchase goods using your credit card, a check is performed to ensure that you have sufficient credit left to make the purchase. This check usually involves accessing a database somewhere.

3. When you make inquiries about a vacation, your travel agent may access several databases containing vacation and flight details from around the globe.

4. Your local library probably has a database containing details of the books in the library as well as its readers, reservation etc…

5. Many of the sites on the Internet are driven by database applications like Amazon etc. For businesses, the database can be used to record sales and to analyze stock movement to provide information for management decision making.

6.

University’s Database Example

All data maintained by a university about its students may be organized as a database

The purpose of the database system is to maintain all relevant data in a form that is useful to the owner for record keeping and decision making.

For a university, the database can be used to prepare lists of students taking a particular course or provide profiles of individual students. The data in the database are organized into tables; for example, a student table may contain personal and contact data on all students. The data are organized into rows and columns (similar to a spreadsheet). A database may contain several tables linked together.

Example

Student Id | Student Name | Date of Birth | Telephone |

2008234 | Jason Smith | 20-May-1992 |...