Exchanging Data: Databases

Databases are structured sets of data. They are organized in such a way that they can be easily managed, accessed, updated and analyzed.
Various types of databases include relational databases, hierarchical databases, network databases, and object-oriented databases.
A database management system (DBMS) is software used to manage databases.
DBMSs enable users to create, retrieve, update and manage data in a database.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is commonly used to interact with databases and manipulate data.
The four main functions of a DBMS are: Data Definition Language (DDL), Data Manipulation Language (DML), Data Control Language (DCL) and Transaction Control Language (TCL).
The main benefits of a database over a file-based system are data independence and efficient data access. Also, databases provide an organization control over its data, reduced application development time, and data security and privacy protection.
An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is a type of structural diagram employed to represent the database architecture.
An ERD includes entities, attributes, which define the properties of an entity, and relationships - the way entities act upon each other.
Normalisation is the process of reducing data redundancy and improving data integrity in relational databases. It involves the decomposition of a database into two or more tables and defining relationships between them.
Transactions in a database environment have two main purposes: to provide reliable units of work, and to provide isolation between programs accessing a database concurrently.
ACID is a set of properties that ensure reliable processing of database transactions. It stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
When exchanging data, it’s important to consider privacy and security, as databases often contain sensitive information. Encryption is one method used to secure data during transit.