Componenets of Dbms

Components of DBMS

A database management system (DBMS) consists of several components. Each component plays very important role in the database management system environment. The major components of database management system are:

Software

Hardware

Data

Procedures

Database Access Language

Software

The main component of a DBMS is the software. It is the set of programs used to handle the database and to control and manage the overall computerized database

DBMS software itself, is the most important software component in the overall system

Operating system including network software being used in network, to share the data of database among multiple users.

Application programs developed in programming languages such as C++, Visual Basic that are used to to access database in database management system. Each program contains statements that request the DBMS to perform operation on database. The operations may include retrieving, updating, deleting data etc . The application program may be conventional or online workstations or terminals.

Hardware

Hardware consists of a set of physical electronic devices such as computers (together with associated I/O devices like disk drives), storage devices, I/O channels, electromechanical devices that make interface between computers and the real world systems etc, and so on. It is impossible to implement the DBMS without the hardware devices, In a network, a powerful computer with high data processing speed and a storage device with large storage capacity is required as database server.

Data

Data is the most important component of the DBMS. The main purpose of DBMS is to process the data. In DBMS, databases are defined, constructed and then data is stored, updated and retrieved to and from the databases. The database contains both the actual (or operational) data and the metadata (data about data or description about data).

Procedures

Procedures refer to the instructions and rules that help to design the database and to use the DBMS. The users that operate and manage the DBMS require documented procedures on hot use or run the database management system. These may include.

Procedure to install the new DBMS.

To log on to the DBMS.

To use the DBMS or application program.

To make backup copies of database.

To change the structure of database.

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