Good decisions require good information that is derived from raw facts. These raw facts are known as data. Data are likely to be managed most efficiently when they are stored in a database.

In this course, you will learn what a database is, what it does, and why it yields better results than other data management methods. You will also learn about various types of databases and why database design is so important.

Databases evolved from computer file systems. Although file system data management is now largely outmoded, understanding the characteristics of file systems is important because file systems are the source of serious data management limitations.

You will also learn how the database system approach helps eliminate most of the
shortcomings of file system data management.