What is
Database Management?
Data are very
important in business decision-making. Businesses collect these data from
different sources internally or externally, from primary or secondary sources.
When the data are analyzed, they give business intelligence insights for effective business decision-making. But then, these data need to be warehoused where they can be retrieved
when the need arises. Therefore, the mechanism by which organizations depend to
convert data into insights for effective decision-making is called a database
management system.
Types of
Database Management Systems
Many
different database systems exist according to how they handle or
manipulate database structure. They are:
- Relational database management systems
- Hierarchical database management systems
- Network or cloud-database management systems
- Object-oriented database management systems
- NoSQL or Non-Relational database management systems
- In-memory database management systems
- Columnar database management systems
Relational
Database Management System
Relational
Database Management software includes Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and
PostgreSQL
Oracle is
the earliest database system that was developed and commercialized in 1980. The integration of its hardware and software is seamless. The
Unix-based Oracle SQL is secured, reliable, secure, and flexible to use.
Microsoft SQL
Server is also a reputable database system. It currently has 12 versions
to meet the data size and applications of different organizations, from small
businesses to large companies. It has a web edition and business intelligence
analytics tools.
MySQL: This
is an open-source DBMS owned by Oracle. It is designed to
cater to small businesses that may not afford larger RDBMSs as it costs less.
The downside of MySQL RDBMS is that its installation and maintenance require
database design and operation knowledge.
PostgreSQL is
also an open-source object-relational RDBMS that has the capability of
compiling with the ANSI SQL and SQL/MED standards. It has features that support
over 12 procedural languages and several database extensions.
Cloud-Based DBMSs
Cloud-based DBMSs are types of database management software where database
workloads are securely stored in the cloud, and data assets can be retrieved at
any time using any device with an internet connection. The systems are managed
with managed cloud database services via DBaaS. In recent times, there has been an increase in the use of public cloud platforms by businesses for their database
management. This reduces the cost and need for large infrastructure to run a relational database management system internally. In the cloud model, companies
only pay for storage and processing that they use in the system.
The leading
cloud database services include Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and
Amazon Web Services (AWS). They all support relational, NoSQL, and other types
of database systems.
Non-Relational
Database Systems (NoSQL)
As
non-Relational database systems, NoSQL function differently from SQL-based
systems in their support for structured and unstructured data. NoSQL systems
have the capability to collect and analyze data without a rigidly defined
schema. A NoSQL database system can process queries of database entities with
different elements, for example, data that comprise text, numeric, images, video
and audio, and even social media posts,.
NoSQL DBMS
types are Graph, document store, and key-value store
In-Memory
Database Management Systems
In-Memory
DBMSs also known as Main-Memory DBMSs are types of DBMS that rely on the computer's main memory to perform its task rather than on disk storage, which makes them
perform better than standard database system models. In-Memory DBMSs also use
internal algorithms that greatly decrease the processing overhead.
The major
characteristics of most main-memory DBMSs are their abilities to adhere to the
ACID properties: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
Some
In-memory DBMSs are Oracle TimesTen, VoltDB, MemSQL, and NoSQL DBMSs like
Aerospike and Redis
Database
Management System Software
Database
Management System Software (DBMS) are database management programs designed for
the optimization, management, storage, and retrieval of data from databases. In
this era of big data, database software help businesses handle large data workloads.
DBMS is
structured on three important elements: data itself, database schema, and, database
engine. The data can be numeric, text, image, video and audio, or combinations
of these different data forms. The schema handles the logical structure, while
the engine is responsible for ensuring that the data can be accessed, locked,
and modified by the users. DBMS grants you the freedom and convenience to store
logical or physical data, and modification options to recover, monitor, and
comply with business operations. Another important feature of the DBMS is its
centralized process that allows users to access data from the database from
anywhere.
Types of
Database Management Software
Many different
types of DBMSs are in use today. Listed below are the top 25 DBMS that you can adopt
for effective management of your business database.
ORACLE RDBMS
Amazon RDS
IBM DB2
Microsoft SQL
Server
Microsoft
Access
MySQL
PostgreSQL
Razor SQL
SQL Developer
Improvado
Informix
Altibase
Redis
EMS
Server Density
Cloudera
Teradata
Couchbase
Robot 3T
SQLite
HammerDB
Advance Query
Tool
CoScale
Toad
FileMaker