Understanding what a database is, what it does, and the proper way to use it can be clarified by considering what a database
is not. A brief explanation of the evolution of file system data processing can be helpful in understanding the data
access limitations that databases attempt to overcome. Understanding these limitations is relevant to database designers
and developers because database technologies do not make these problems magically disappear—database technologies
simply make it easier to create solutions that avoid these problems. Creating database designs that avoid the pitfalls
of earlier systems requires that the designer understand these problems and how to avoid them; otherwise, the database
technologies are no better (and are potentially even worse!) than the technologies and techniques they have replaced.