When it comes to organizing large amounts of data systematically and
relationally, RDBMS is considered one of the best options. Typically, RDBMS is
defined as the type of database, but it also refers to the database software
itself. But the first question that comes to our mind is what is the full form
of RDBMS?
In this article, we have briefly covered all the important topics of RDBMS,
such as the RDBMS full form, what is RDBMS, its definition, characteristics,
advantages, disadvantages, and more.
What You Will Learn
What is the full form of RDBMS?
The meaning or full form of RDBMS is a 'Relational Database Management System'. It is a small subset of the DBMS designed specifically for relational
databases, thus including the term relational in its name. RDBMS was initially
introduced by E. F. Codd of IBM's
San Jose Research Lab.
The full form of RDBMS can be explained as:
| R | Relational |
| D | Data |
| B | Base |
| M | Management |
| S | System |
Note: It should be noted that the word 'database' is a single
word and should always be written accordingly. A database is usually defined
as an organized collection of data or structured information, which is stored
electronically or digitally. In particular, databases use a structured query
language (commonly abbreviated as SQL) to write and query data.
Let’s talk about what RDBMS is:
What is RDBMS?
RDBMS primarily refers to a database program designed to store data in a
structured format using multiple rows and columns. It is used for relational
databases, which means that the values of each table in the database are
related to each other. Also, different tables in the database can be related
to each other.
The relational structure of RDBMS allows users to implement queries in
multiple tables simultaneously. The RDBMS program enables us to run queries on
data, including creating, updating, or searching for values. This ultimately
makes it easier to search and access a particular value within the database.
For example, an RDBMS program can display data in tables such as Excel
spreadsheets, making it easy to view or change individual values.
Definition of RDBMS
By the definition of RDBMS, “A relational database management system (RDBMS) is defined as a database
management system (DBMS) program that helps us to create, update and
delete relational databases, as well as store data in the form of related
tables.”
Characteristics of RDBMS
The most common characteristics of RDBMS are listed below:
• Data is stored in a
tabular form in RDBMS database
files. More specifically, the data is organized into
rows and columns.
• The tables are interlinked with the help of
foreign keys.
• Each row of the table is called a
tuple/record. The number that refers to such rows is called the cardinality of the table.
• Each column of the table is referred to as an
attribute/field. The number that refers to such columns is called the arity of the table.
• RDBMS uses
candidate keys to avoid data
duplication. A candidate key is typically defined as the minimum set of
attributes used to identify a set of records uniquely.
• Database tables in RDBMS support
NULL values. This means that when the value of any element in the table is not given or
missing, it is treated as a NULL value. This value is not equal to zero.
Examples of RDBMS (RDBMS Vendors)
Examples of some most popular RDBMS programs are discussed below:
MySQL: It is an open-source RDBMS that primarily uses SQL (Structured Query
Language) to process data in a database.
Oracle Database: It is a multi-model database management system introduced by Oracle
Corporation.
Microsoft SQL Server: It is a close-source RDBMS offered by Microsoft.
PostgreSQL: It is an open-source database program designed primarily for web
application development. It is not managed by any corporation.
SQLite: It is an RDBMS contained in the C library. Unlike many other database
management systems, SQLite is not a client-server database engine. Instead, it
is embedded in the end program.
Some of the programs listed above also support non-relational databases;
however, they are primarily used for relational database management.
Let us understand this with an example of how a table usually contains data in
RDBMS:
Suppose a table with some records of student details, such as:
| Roll No. | Student Name | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanu | C |
| 2 | Kavya | A |
| 3 | Rudrakshi | B |
| 4 | Divya | C |
| 5 | Divyansh | A |
The table contains three columns, namely: Roll No., Student Name, and Section.
It has records of five students. The records cannot be entirely the same;
there is always something unique. In our case, the roll numbers are separating
the records from one student to another. Thus, the roll number is acting like
a candidate key to this table,
separating the records.
Apart from this, the records are related to each other. All the records are
referring to the students’ details.
Advantages of RDBMS
The following are the advantages of RDBMS:
• Since each table in RDBMS can be manipulated independently without
affecting the other, it can be easily managed.
• RDBMS has many levels of security, which makes it more secure than
DBMS. In addition, access to shared data may be limited.
• RDBMS is best suited to facilitate the storage and retrieval of large
amounts of data.
• RDBMS databases are more scalable; they can be easily increased/
extended according to the needs of the users.
• RDBMS provides support for client-side architecture, making it
suitable to store multiple users simultaneously.
• Replication of the database in RDBMS provides simultaneous access and
helps the system recover in case of unexpected uncertainties, such as a power
failure or sudden shutdown.
Disadvantages of RDBMS
The following are the disadvantages of RDBMS:
• Since RDBMS is meant for organizing vast amounts of data, it requires
high-end hardware and extensive software support. That way, establishing a
powerful setup for RDBMS systems may cost more.
• Even though RDBMS has scalability, if we need to add more data, we
may need more servers with extended power and memory support. This usually
costs extra money.
• When it comes to establishing relationships, large-scale data creates
complexity in the understanding of relations between tables or data. Also, it
can slow down performance.
• Fields/columns of RDBMS systems are enclosed within certain limits,
sometimes leading to data loss.
DBMS vs RDBMS
The following table discusses the most common differences between DBMS and
RDBMS:
| DBMS | RDBMS |
|---|---|
| DBMS stores the data in the form of files. | RDBMS stores the data in the form of tables. |
| DBMS is designed to handle small amounts of data. | RDBMS is designed to deal with vast amounts of data. |
| DBMS provides support only for a single user at a time. | RDBMS provides support for multiple users at a time. |
Read More:
Difference between DBMS and RDBMS
Summary
RDBMS (stands for 'Relational Database Management System') is a collection of
programs and capabilities that help us create clusters of interconnected
databases in table form (i.e., as rows and columns). Nowadays most database
systems are based on relational database models.
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