The Database Management System (DBMS)

DBMS
A software system that enables users to define, create, and maintain the database andalso provides controlled access to this database.

The DBMS is the software that interacts with the users, application programs,and the database. Among other things, the DBMS allows users to insert, update,delete, and retrieve data from the database. Having a central repository for alldata and data descriptions allows the DBMS to provide a general inquiry facilityto this data, called a query language. The provision of a query language (such as SQL) alleviates the problems with earlier systems where the user has to work with a fixed set of queries or where there is a proliferation of programs, giving major software management problems. We’ll discuss the typical functions and services of a DBMS in the next section The Structured Query Language (SQL – pronounced ‘S-Q-L’ or sometimes ‘See-Quel’) is the main query language for relational DBMSs, like Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle.