subject: Database Management: Providing Solution For Easy Storage And Retrieval Of Data [print this page] It is impossible for organizations to maintain all data in paper. Storing records on paper is difficult, and retrieving them from stacks is even more difficult. The solution to this dual problem is a database. A database is required by every organization to electronically store and retrieved data in the most systematic way. It is secure, convenient, time-saving, and most important removes paperwork. Any volume of data can be stored and retrieved at any given time.
To effectively set up and maintain a database, an organization needs to have in place a DBMS or database management system. A DBMS can be best defined as a set of software programs which can control the storing, organize, manage, and retrieve data from a database. An organization usually placed the management of its database in the hands of a database manager. He adds new records, deletes redundant data, and is responsible for the overall administration of the DBMS.
The nature of records that are stored in a database differs according to the nature of the organization. Common data that are stored includes employees details, salary records, clients records, records of sales and inventories etc. As such, a database is use to meet different ends. For retailers, it can provide them with useful statistics such as which product has registered the highest sale and which one the lowest, and who are its regular customers. It can also store customers information. A customer database is usually maintained by business companies engage in selling products and services to register a better customer relation management and for promoting their goods and services to targeted customers.
There are several models of database. These models have prewritten database programs which define the structure of the data storage and retrieval. A program enables a user request to be transferred to the operating system to serve the request. This program also controls the nature of database management. The most commonly used database model is the relational model, which is preferred by many business enterprises. However, big corporate enterprises may require two or more DBMS models serving different purposes and meeting different needs.
