Good decisions require good information that is derived from raw facts.These raw facts are
known as data. Data are likely to be managed most efficiently when they are stored in a
database. In this chapter, you will learn what a database is, what it does, and why it yields
better results than other data management methods.You will also learn about various types
of databases and why database design is so important.
Databases evolved from computer file systems. Although file system data management is
now largely outmoded, understanding the characteristics of file systems is important
because file systems are the source of serious data management limitations. In this chapter,
you will also learn how the database system approach helps eliminate most of the
shortcomings of file system data management