Argomento n.

7 – 5A IT – I database e il sistema di gestione dei database

The database
A database is a way of storing large quantities of information so that, using a
computer, it can be:
1. searched: to find specific data;
2. sorted: to compare data and create reports.
A simple flat-file database is like a table with vertical columns (fields), and horizontal
rows (records).
The record refer to the people or things with which the database is concerned; fields
can consist of different types of data: text, for example: names or brief descriptions;
dates or times: which must follow a standard format (DD/MM/YY); numbers;
calculated numbers; graphics: which may be a photograph or any other type of image.
The database software could reorganise the information according to any field.
A flat-file database enables a user to view data from only one file at a time.
A relational database is a more complex system in which data from many different
fields are interlinked. In this case a database management system (DBMS) is
necessary to organise and analyse all this data.

Database management system

A database management system (DBMS) can store, edit and organise all the data in a
database.
- It stores data in one central location
- It controls who can access and edit the database
- It allows data to be shared by many users
- It provides user interfaces to work with the database
- It automatically creates backups of the database
DBMS offers many significant benefits:
- security: the data is in a safe central location
- efficiency: it avoids data duplication and inconsistency (incompatibilità) within the
data collection; also less storage space is taken up because data in shared.
- customisation: application to access data can be customised to suit the needs of
individual users.
An important feature of a DBMS is separating applications from the data.
When people use the applications they call on the data they need to work on. They do
not need to use all the data every time they use the database. The structure of the
database can change, but the applications using the data don’t need to be changed.