9 Advantages of Database Management System over File System

In an earlier post, we have seen, how the industry is going to be data-driven and what are the types of programmer needs for software developer jobs in the future. In this post, advantages of database management system over file system have been proposed.

To provide the backbone for any application needs the huge collection of data. That comes with database management system.

In early era, data was used to be saved in a simple text file. There is main disadvantage of using a file system to store the data. We can not structure the data. Data becomes too verbose and cluttered.

Today large scales of databases are available such as IBM DB2, Oracle, SQL. With these databases, data processing, and data manipulation has become so much easy.

9 Advantages of Database Management System over File System:

#1 Concurrency

In the file system management, there is no such control over Multi-user access to data. Concurrent updates may lead to data corruption. In modern Database Management System, we can concurrently access data.

#2 Rich Query Set:

To work on database content, there is database language. It provides rich query set to manipulation database contents.

Ex in SQL language:

select * from <table_name> //to read the data from SQL database

insert into <table_name>// to insert data in SQL database

Select SQL query is used to retrieve the data from the database which comes with the rich query set as aggregate functions, filters and order by clause.

#3 Indexing:

Internet of Things implies collecting data to drive physical devices without human interaction. Behavioral data is getting collected for Artificial Intelligence. Collecting data and searching particular information in this huge amount of data has become the tedious job.

To address this issue, data indexing is very much useful.

Indexing is the process of ordering database entries. It helps to improve the speed of data retrieval operations. Indexing makes search quicker. It is one of the advantages of database management system over the file system.

#4 Transaction:

The transaction is the sequence of operations to be carried out in a single logical work unit. To preserve the reliability of data, the database must ensure ACID properties. ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and Durability.

• Atomicity: It ensures, all or none of operations to be executed in a single logical unit of work.
• Consistency: State of the database system should be same, before starting the transaction and after completion of the transaction.
• Isolation: If there is multiple transactions are executing, one transaction should not interfere in other transaction.
• Durability: Database must ensure all the changes to be saved after completion of the transaction.

You can read detail about ACID properties with real world example.

With these ACID properties on transactions, it is easy to apply complex updates safely. It adds one more point to be considered for advantages of database management system.

#5 Privileges:

It may lead to security issues if we allow admin privileges to all database user. One of the main advantages of Database Management System is that it has a provision to give different privileges to the different users.

The database administrator can have all the privileges to insert into, update and delete the database. The database administrator is supposed to give privileges to other database users. For the end user, accessing data can be allowed but updating a database.

#6 Remote data access:

Online shopping has become the fad. Apps are getting rolling out. Everything is getting online. Data has been accessed remotely.

Simple data access queries for Database Management System provides data access easy and simple. With simple plugin or command, data can be accessed by online websites or apps.

#7 Client Supportive:

Users or clients can embed database queries regardless of whatever programming languages they are using.

Suppose client want to provide online services through the website as well as mobile application. The database queries do not depend on computer programming language. So a single database can be used for both the platforms.

#8 Database management tools:

There are lots of database management tools are available. It is lagging in earlier file system data management.

• Database backup is important. It ensures availability of stable database in case if data gets corrupted.
• Data replication is required for faster availability of database in the various regional areas.
• Suppose there are large numbers of user accessing data. Load balancing reduces the load on a particular database by sharing a load among all the replicated databases.
• Ther is a need to prevent unwanted data access. So database monitoring and security has become biggest concern.

#9 Scalability:

Last but not the least one of the advantages of database management system is database scalability.

To address every business requirement to store data, there is an availability from small scale to large scale databases. Today almost every apps and online services are using database management system.

These are advantages of database management system over the file system. For the same reason, database management system has evolved. Today it is used everywhere than File System. If you have any question or do you want to suggest any point, use the comment section below to write.