Online Degrees in Database Management

Computer Database Studies
A computer database relies upon software to organize the storage of data. This software is known as a database management system (DBMS). Database management systems are categorized according to the database model that they support. The model generally determines the query languages that are available to access the database. However, a great deal of the internal engineering of a DBMS is independent of the data model. The DBMS also is responsible with managing factors such as performance, concurrency, integrity and recovery from hardware failures. In these areas, there are major differences between products.

The earliest known use of the term “data base” was in November 1963, when the System Development Corporation sponsored a symposium under the title, “Development and Management of a Computer-centered Data Base”. Database as a single word became common in Europe in the early 1970s; and by the end of the decade, it was being used in major American newspapers. (The abbreviation DB, however, survives.)

The first database management systems were developed in the 1960s. A pioneer in the field was Charles Bachman. Bachman's early papers show that his aim was to make more effective use of the new direct access storage devices becoming available. Until then, data processing had been based on punched cards and magnetic tape, so serial processing was the dominant activity. Two key data models arose at this time: CODASYL developed the network model based on Bachman's ideas and, independently, the hierarchical model was used in a system developed by North American Rockwell. This hierarchical model was later adopted by IBM as the cornerstone of their IMS product. While IMS, along with the CODASYL IDMS, were the prominent, high visibility databases developed in the 1960s, several others also originated in that decade. Some of these still have a significant installed base today. Two worthy of mention are the PICK and MUMPS databases, with the former developed originally as an operating system with an embedded database, and the latter as a programming language and database for the development of healthcare systems.

The relational model was proposed by E. F. Codd in 1970. He criticized existing models for confusing the abstract description of information structure with descriptions of physical access mechanisms. For a long while however, the relational model remained only of academic interest. While CODASYL products (IDMS) and network model products (IMS) were conceived as practical engineering solutions, taking into account the technology as it existed at the time, the relational model embraced a theoretical perspective, arguing (correctly) that hardware and software technology would catch up in time. Among the first implementations were Michael Stonebraker's Ingres at Berkeley, and the System R project at IBM. Both of these were research prototypes announced during 1976. The first commercial products, Oracle and DB2, did not appear until around 1980. The first successful database product for microcomputers was dBASE for the CP/M and PC-DOS/MS-DOS operating systems.

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During the 1980s, research activity focused on distributed database systems and database machines. Another important theoretical idea was the Functional Data Model, but apart from some specialized applications in genetics, molecular biology, and fraud investigation, the world took little notice. In the 1990s, attention shifted to object-oriented databases. These had some success in fields where it was necessary to handle more complex data than relational systems could easily cope with, such as spatial databases, engineering data (including software repositories), and multimedia data. Some of these ideas were adopted by the relational vendors, who integrated new features into their products as a result. The 1990s also saw the spread of Open Source databases such as PostgreSQL, and MySQL.