Database Systems

Previous Class: Here

I hope that you might have well understood the need of a database in present day applications.
we'll have a brief discussion on the applications of  database in various fields. Then we'll throw 
some flash on the underlying software that handles the king: Database.

1. As we've assumed previously, the main aim of database is to provide data sharing among several users. The aim of database has extended to such a manner that its now providing data sharing at a remote level. For example we know that we all access our mail accounts, send and receive mails. But we would wonder that these mails are not stored in our computer. right? We can access them anywhere and anytime, irrespective of the device we use: we can have the same mails accessed through our desktops and even from our mobiles. I'm just talking about the data we access, not how its being accessed. This example might confuse you a little bit because, database is generally a software driven Hardware. So we should talk about the software while mentioning the hardware too!

Well we'll leave the other things out of our scope here, such as the way in which we access them: data communications. here actually each person or the owner of mail has his mailbox or more naively, his very own virtual postbox in the database located somewhere else in this world. He'd log on to his account through some client address, and then checks his mails. Here the Database acts merely as a combo of a Huge Post Office and Post Box.

2. Internet, is all we're using somehow in our work. Even you are reading my bundles of notes through your internet right? but the internet is just a software: its a network. The driving force of Storage behind internet is the large use of Database Servers. A Server is a software and database is a storage. Together they provide the functionality of inter networking. The things you see on an internet are all simply web scripts: pages, bundles and bundles written in some language other than English :) These web pages are stored in the dedicated databases which are accessed remotely by the client systems when need some page to load. The browser acts as a dish in which your potato fry: i mean the pages are served by the server: in my sense database....
Just don't mingle Server and database here, we'll see that some other time.

3. Cloud, is the next level of database computing, in which the database is remotely accessed and offers several advantages like Single application being run on many systems etc.,

Now that you are aware of the application aspects of a database. if still the thing's not clear, just have a search on this thing. because applications include reservation systems, and many other online services, I've classified them in another form: the way in which a database functions.

Now we'll return to our concept of Database Systems. A System is generally a physical entity. But in this context we'll imagine this to be a Driving force. A Database is simply a Jumbo size storage disk for a Computer. But the thing's that even though we own a car for us, what's the driving force for it? Just don't say simply fuel, its the car keys!

In the same way, a Database needs a key to control it: a software that governs the functionality of the database. I just don't want to confuse and prolong it anymore, in the straight way, its the database system. Its a software installed to provide the functionality of a database. To be a successful thing, you must put some effort in your efficiency. In the same way, in order to build a successful database, we should concentrate on building an efficient software. 

We'll pause our story of King DB here, and next time we'll see DB System in detail and have a brief introdution of DBMS.