DATABASE FUNCTIONALITY
A relational DBMS is special system software that is used to manage the organization, storage, access, security and integrity of data.  This specialized software allows application systems to focus on the user interface, data validation and screen navigation.  When there is a need to add, modify, delete or display data, the application system simply makes a "call" to the RDBMS.
Although there are many different types of database management systems, relational databases are by far the most common.  Other types include hierarchical databases and network databases. 
Although database management systems have been around since the 1960s, relational databases didn't become popular until the 1980s when the power of the computer skyrocketed and it became feasible to store data is sets of related tables and provided real-time data access.
http://rdbms.ca/database/functionality.html
 
A DBMS includes four main parts: modeling language, data structure, database query language, and transaction mechanisms:
Components of DBMS
  * DBMS Engine accepts logical request from the various other DBMS subsystems, converts them into physical equivalents, and actually accesses the database and data dictionary as they exist on a storage device.
  * Data Definition Subsystem helps user to create and maintain the data dictionary and define the structure of the files in a database.
  * Data Manipulation Subsystem helps user to add, change, and delete information in a database and query it for valuable information. Software tools within the data manipulation subsystem are most often the primary interface between user and the information contained in a database. It allows user to specify its logical information requirements.
  * Application Generation Subsystem contains facilities to help users to develop transaction-intensive applications. It usually requires that user perform a detailed series of tasks to process a transaction. It facilitates easy-to-use... [continues]

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