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Database Management Systems4 min read

Components of DBMS

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Hardware, Software, Data, Database Access Language, Procedures and Users together form the components of a DBMS. In this tutorial we have discussed about the components of DBMS in detail along with a diagram to represent how it works.

Components of DBMS

We all are aware of the definition of the database that it is an organized collection of related and logical data, when we design the database, we collect, store, maintain and use the data. DBMS Components help us to perform these activities. The DBMS components perform the requested operations from the user or client on the database and provide the required data to the users or client.

Types of Database Components

The Database Management System is divided into five major components which are illustrated below.

  • Data
  • Procedures
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Users

Types of Database Components

The below diagram shows how they all fit together to form a Database Management System.

components of database management system

 

1. Data

It is an important component of the DBMS as the motive behind the creation of DBMS was to store and utilize data. Many organizations generate and process huge amounts of data, so data is the resource for which DBMS was designed.

Data can be of two types:

  1. User Data: It is in the form of tables that consists of rows and columns, where the tables are called a relation, rows are called records, and columns are called fields or attributes.
  2. Metadata: In a typical database, the user-saved data is present and metadata is stored. Metadata is not actual data, it is data about the data.

2. Procedures

We have data and if we want to access that data, this procedure component defines the way or method to access the data. Procedures refer to general instructions like rules and constraints to use a database management system. This consists of the method to set up and install a DBMS, log in and log out of DBMS software, manage databases, take backups, generating reports, etc.

3. Hardware

When we say Hardware, it may be a computer system, servers, or workstations used to store and access the database. The traditional DBMS consists of secondary storage devices in which the database can physically reside such as Magnetic disks (hard disks, floppy disks), optical disks (CD-ROM), Magnetic tapes, I/O channels for data, and any other physical component involved before any data can be successfully stored into the memory.

4. Software

This is the main component and it is the actual DBMS, as this is the program that controls everything including hardware devices. It is like a layer between the user and the DBMS software which is more like a wrapper around the physical database, which provides us with an easy-to-use interface to store, access, and update data.

It uses three types of software to work properly:

  1. Operating System Software: The OS can be Windows, Unix, MAC, etc. which manages all hardware and software devices.
  2. DBMS Software: It manages the database in the database system like MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, etc.
  3. Application Programs: It is used to access the data from the database. It is also used for generating reports and displaying information on GUI’s etc.

The DBMS software can understand the Database Access Language and interpret them into actual database commands to execute them on the DB.

Database Access Language

Database Access Language is designed to write commands to access, insert, update, and delete the data stored in any database. Users can write commands in the Database Access language and submit them to the DBMS for execution, which can further be translated and executed by the DBMS. With the help of access, language users can create a new database, tables, insert data, fetch stored data, update and delete the data.

5. Users

The users are those persons who can access, retrieve, manage data using the applications and interfaces that are provided by the DBMS to carry out their business. There are several users based upon the job and requirements.

Types of users who can access the database are:

  1. System Administrators: The person who oversees the entire operation in an organization.
  2. Database Administrators: Database Administrator or DBA is the one who manages and is responsible for the complete database management system.
  3. Database Designers: They are responsible for designing the databases by following the standards and procedures instructed by the Database Administrator.
  4. Application Programmers or Software Developers: They are responsible for writing application programs for accessing the database and this user group is involved in developing and designing the parts of DBMS.
  5. End-Users: End-users like clerks and managers are the ones who store, retrieve, update and delete data. They use the application programs to access the database or to perform the operations on the database.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed five types of database components that are necessary to build a full database management system.