By now, mankind has accumulated a truly gigantic amount of information about objects and phenomena. But this information does not lie dead weight, it is stored electronically and used in databases. Databases are part of information systems - hardware and software complexes that store and process huge information arrays.
A database is a collection of data, structured in a certain way, stored together and processed in accordance with certain rules. As a rule, the database models a certain subject area or its fragment. Files are often used as a permanent storage of database information.
A program that manipulates information in a database is called a DBMS (database management system). It can make selections according to various criteria and display the requested information in a form that is convenient for the user. The main components of information systems built on the basis of databases are database files, DBMS and software (client applications) that allow the user to manipulate information and perform the actions necessary to solve his problems.
The structuring of information is carried out according to characteristic features, physical and technical parameters of abstract objects that are stored in this database. Information in the database can be represented as text, raster or vector image, table or object-oriented model. Structuring information allows you to analyze and process it: make custom queries, selections, sorting, perform mathematical and logical operations.
The information that is stored in the database can be constantly updated. How often it is done depends on its relevance. Information about objects can also be changed and supplemented.
Databases, as a way of storing large amounts of information and effectively manipulating it, are used in almost all areas of human activity. They store documents, images, information about real estate, individuals and legal entities. There are legal databases, automobile, address, etc.
Databases are used in information systems, for example, in those that allow for the control and management of territories at the state level. The databases of such systems store information about all real estate objects located in these territories: land plots, vegetation, buildings, hydrography, roads, etc. Databases allow you to analyze information and manage information flows, use them for statistics, forecasting and accounting.
