Posting1: Introduction and History of DBMS

Introduction

DBMSs are a set of software programs that allow organizations store, manage, retrieve, and analyze information from a single or several databases. All information helping an organization to do business is stored in databases which include a collection of related data organized in a way that facilitates data searches. Data is retrieved from a database through the use of queries and reports, and the users of information systems use DBMS’ interface language SQL to interact with the data from a database. The main method structuring the relationships among data entities is the relational database model. By normalizing complex databases, the users can easily maintain and manipulate data. (Jessup, Valacich, and Wade, 2008) There are different categories of DBMSs from small systems, which can be operated in PC, to huge systems, which can be running in mainframes.

History
In the earliest days of electronic computing, databases were applied to the older systems in the form of custom. (Ross, 2009) At first, only some large organizations could afford to use DBMS with applying the hardware to support large data sets. They used the file processing approach to store and operate data electronically. Data were usually held in computer files that were long, sequential, and often stored on magnetic tape. Information including identical data often was put in several different places throughout the information system. The programmers of the file had not yet found the way to solve the redundant problem about storing data, so repetitive data about customers, suppliers, or other companies used to be stored in several files. If a certain code was changed, related data in each file had to be changed. (Jessup, Valacich, and Wade, 2006)

In the early 1960s, Database Task Force Group within Codasyl was responsible for beginning to create and standardize the computer language (COBOL) in databases. There were no both functions of “find” and “search”, so it is difficult to search some data what someone wanted.

In 1968, IBM established their own DBMS during the development of “Apollo project”, which was called as IMS using hierarchical database model as the method of data navigation.
In 1971, “CoastyI approach” was established by “Database Task Group”, and the method became the formal standard to database management, whose navigational model was network model. The system was a linked-list one.

In 1973, both hierarchical database model and network model were developed to be the navigational databases.

Due to the lack of the function of “search” in the navigational databases, Edgar Codd, woking at IBM, wrote a paper to debate with CoastyI approach and introduced “A Relational Model of Data for large shared Data Banks”. In the new database construction, the data is split into a series of normalized tables where each row is a record and each column is an attribute (field). A record is a collection of related attributes about a single table. For a user, some related tables that store different information need to be built with its related attributes by linking them with a unique “key” defining a related table. Also, in order to solve the necessary looping, Codd suggested that should design a set-oriented language, which will eventually be developed to be the SQL.

After Codd’s demonstrations, two projects about producing relational products were initiated, the first one of which was Ingres beginning in 1973, which produced one test product that was widespread used in 1979; the other was IBM’s System R, which produced two versions, including “quickie” and multi-user version that had been added the query language, SQL.

In 1976, IBM delivered a prototype for a relational DBMS. From then on, the competition of development of SQL production began.

In 1977, a specified database was designed to government agencies by computer programmers, Larry Ellison and Robert Miner, who found the Oracle systems. Corp. Meantime, they learned from IBM, also using SQL to produce a relational DBMS similar to IBM’s.

In 1978, Oracle released the first RDBMS. Relational databases eventually divided by all other database types, because highly complex queries can be used and various tools’ usefulness was largely enhanced.

In 1983, the first portable RDBMS was delivered by Oracle, which could use on various platforms like mainframes, workstations, and PC. After that, a distributed DBMS with the base on SQL-Star software was initiated, which could have access to data stored on a network if these data was placed in a single computer.

In 1993, Microsoft Corp. invented Access. With RDBMS grow quickly, and as components of computer price began decrease, lots of business DBMSs occurred on the market. Therefore, in order to gain competitive advantage, many organizations accepted the DBMSs and began using related information systems. (Mann, 2006)


References:
Jessup, L., Valacich, J. & Wade, M. (2008). Information System Today: Why IS Matters. Pearson Education, Inc.

Mann, M. (June 28, 2006). History and Comparison of Relational Database Management Systems. HVB Information Services, HIS14DB

Ross, S. (2009). The History of Database Management Systems. Ezine @rticles. Retrieved March 31, 2009 form
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Database-Management-Systems&id=904394

Webopedia. Database Management System. Retrieved March 31, 2009 from
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/database_management_system_DBMS.html.