Show Introduction to Advantages of DBMSBefore understanding about advantages of DBMS, let us have a brief look at Data. Any sort of information that comes out, it is tagged with this name “Data”. What I am typing right now have already become the data for me and once it is published to the World Wide Web (WWW), it will become a data for everyone else as well. Now, these data play a key role in making the most out of our available systems, Software, Companies, Enterprises, Governments, Hospitals, Research Centers, Astronomy Organizations, NGO’s and many more spread across our planet. A brief look at today’s IT Operations: Source Link: https://goo.gl/images/FEsMvi But how data would probably benefit today’s Enterprises? The developer builds an application or software, but Software need Data to perform day to day operations and analytics over processed data is something which is driving the business nowadays to excel in their respective areas of operations. So as a developer, we need a Data Base Management System where we can create, update, delete, administer and moreover to do an analysis on the data. We basically have two most popular ways of storing and managing Data Base. These are DBMS and RDBMS:
Source Link: https://goo.gl/images/Ce5BqF Advantages of DBMSFollowing are the top 15 advantages are as follows: 1. Data RedundancyUnlike traditional file-system storage, Data Redundancy in DBMS is very less or not present. Data Redundancy occurs when the same data are stored unnecessarily at different places. Data Redundancy is reduced or eliminated in DBMS because all data are stored at a centralized location rather than being created by individual users and for each application. For e.g: Application A and Application B have the same user MARVEL, and we need to store personal information about the user such as Name, age, address, Date of Birth etc. Not to mention, this user has also access to different application, so in traditional file-based system, there is a need to maintain separate file system for each of the application to store user’s information while in DBMS approach, there could be just one centralized location where information can be down streamed to the different application as and when needed. 2. Data InconsistencyIn traditional file system storage, the changes made by one user in one application doesn’t update the changes in other application, given both have the same set of details. While this is not the case with DBMS systems as there is a single repository of data that is defined once and is accessed by many users, and data are consistent. 3. Data SharingData Sharing is the primary advantage of Database management systems. DBMS system allows users and applications to share Data with multiple applications and users. Data are stored in one or more servers in the network and that there is some software locking mechanism that prevents the same set of data from being changed by two people at the same time. While the file system doesn’t have this capability. 4. Data SearchingSearching and retrieving of data is very easy in DBMS systems. The need to write separate programs for each of the search is eliminated as in the case with a traditional file-based approach. In DBMS, we can write small queries to search for multiple information at a time from the data from DB servers. 5. Data SecurityDBMS systems provide a strong framework to protect data privacy and security. DBMS ensures that only authorized users have access to data and there is a mechanism to define access privileges. 6. Data ConcurrencyIn DBMS, Data are stored in one or more servers in the network and that there is some software locking mechanism that prevents the same set of data from being changed by two people at the same time. 7. Data IntegrationData integration is a process of combining the data residing at different locations and present the user with a unified view of data. DBMS systems allow Data Integration with much feasibility. 8. Data AccessWhile in traditional file-based approach, it might take hours to look for very specific information that might be needed in the context of some business emergency, while DBMS reduces this time to a few seconds. This is a great advantage of DBMS because we can write small queries which will search the Database for you and it will retrieve the information in the fastest way possible due to its inbuilt searching operations. 9. Decision makingImproved Data Sharing and better-managed data allow business to make quality business decisions which will promote the growth of the organization. 10. Data Backup and RecoveryThis is another advantage of DBMS as it provides a strong framework for Data backup, users are not required to back up their data periodically and manually, it is automatically taken care by DBMS. Moreover, in case of a server crash, DBMS restores the Database to its previous condition. 11. Data MigrationThere are some data which are access very frequently while there are few that aren’t. So, DBMS provides the capability to access the frequently accessed data as quickly as possible. 12. Low Maintenance CostThough DBMS systems might be costly at the time of purchase but their maintenance involves a very minimal cost. 14. Data Loss is almost eliminatedWith DBMS, one can keep information for thousands of years, provided we don’t see the doomsday. Data security and very low storage cost (as compared to our previous generations) in the current century cut any possibility of Data Loss. 15. Data AtomicityAn atomic transaction is one in which all of the database actions occur or none of them do. It is the duty of DBMS to store a complete transaction in the database. If any transaction is partially completed, then it rolls backs them. For e.g: If we make an online purchase, money is deducted from our account while if the purchase is somehow failed, then no money is deducted or if it gets deducted, it gets returned within few days. Source Link: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/acid-properties-in-dbms/ Recommended ArticlesThis has been a guide to the advantages of DBMS. Here we have discussed the advantages of using DBMS in the real world. You can also look at the following article to learn more – Adrienne Watt The way in which computers manage data has come a long way over the last few decades. Today’s users take for granted the many benefits found in a database system. However, it wasn’t that long ago that computers relied on a much less elegant and costly approach to data management called the file-based system. File-based SystemOne way to keep information on a computer is to store it in permanent files. A company system has a number of application programs; each of them is designed to manipulate data files. These application programs have been written at the request of the users in the organization. New applications are added to the system as the need arises. The system just described is called the file-based system. Consider a traditional banking system that uses the file-based system to manage the organization’s data shown in Figure 1.1. As we can see, there are different departments in the bank. Each has its own applications that manage and manipulate different data files. For banking systems, the programs may be used to debit or credit an account, find the balance of an account, add a new mortgage loan and generate monthly statements. Disadvantages of the file-based approachUsing the file-based system to keep organizational information has a number of disadvantages. Listed below are five examples. Data redundancyOften, within an organization, files and applications are created by different programmers from various departments over long periods of time. This can lead to data redundancy, a situation that occurs in a database when a field needs to be updated in more than one table. This practice can lead to several problems such as:
Data isolationData isolation is a property that determines when and how changes made by one operation become visible to other concurrent users and systems. This issue occurs in a concurrency situation. This is a problem because:
Integrity problemsProblems with data integrity is another disadvantage of using a file-based system. It refers to the maintenance and assurance that the data in a database are correct and consistent. Factors to consider when addressing this issue are:
Security problemsSecurity can be a problem with a file-based approach because:
Concurrency accessConcurrency is the ability of the database to allow multiple users access to the same record without adversely affecting transaction processing. A file-based system must manage, or prevent, concurrency by the application programs. Typically, in a file-based system, when an application opens a file, that file is locked. This means that no one else has access to the file at the same time. In database systems, concurrency is managed thus allowing multiple users access to the same record. This is an important difference between database and file-based systems. Database ApproachThe difficulties that arise from using the file-based system have prompted the development of a new approach in managing large amounts of organizational information called the database approach. Databases and database technology play an important role in most areas where computers are used, including business, education and medicine. To understand the fundamentals of database systems, we will start by introducing some basic concepts in this area. Role of databases in businessEverybody uses a database in some way, even if it is just to store information about their friends and family. That data might be written down or stored in a computer by using a word-processing program or it could be saved in a spreadsheet. However, the best way to store data is by using database management software. This is a powerful software tool that allows you to store, manipulate and retrieve data in a variety of different ways. Most companies keep track of customer information by storing it in a database. This data may include customers, employees, products, orders or anything else that assists the business with its operations. The meaning of dataData are factual information such as measurements or statistics about objects and concepts. We use data for discussions or as part of a calculation. Data can be a person, a place, an event, an action or any one of a number of things. A single fact is an element of data, or a data element. If data are information and information is what we are in the business of working with, you can start to see where you might be storing it. Data can be stored in:
All of these items store information, and so too does a database. Because of the mechanical nature of databases, they have terrific power to manage and process the information they hold. This can make the information they house much more useful for your work. With this understanding of data, we can start to see how a tool with the capacity to store a collection of data and organize it, conduct a rapid search, retrieve and process, might make a difference to how we can use data. This book and the chapters that follow are all about managing information.
concurrency: the ability of the database to allow multiple users access to the same record without adversely affecting transaction processing data element: a single fact or piece of information data inconsistency: a situation where various copies of the same data are conflicting data isolation: a property that determines when and how changes made by one operation become visible to other concurrent users and systems data integrity: refers to the maintenance and assurance that the data in a database are correct and consistent data redundancy: a situation that occurs in a database when a field needs to be updated in more than one table database approach: allows the management of large amounts of organizational information database management software: a powerful software tool that allows you to store, manipulate and retrieve data in a variety of ways file-based system: an application program designed to manipulate data files
AttributionThis chapter of Database Design (including its images, unless otherwise noted) is a derivative copy of Database System Concepts by Nguyen Kim Anh licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 license The following material was written by Adrienne Watt:
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