What is Database?

What is database? Its history goes back to 1963 when the terminology was used by the System Development Corporation at a meeting called ‘Development and Management of a Computer-Centered Database’.  The word was finally incorporated into the English language in the 1970’s by the Europeans, and at the century’s end, the term began appearing regularly in US newspapers.  The equivalent terminology was used by the Washington Post back in 1966 – databank.

‘What is database’ became better defined in the late 1960’s when the first ever database style management methods were created.  Charles Bachman pioneered the development of this new system by creating a means to more effectively give easy access to information storage.  Up to that point, the processing of data had been limited to magnetic type tapes and punch cards.  As a result two database models were developed, including CODASYL, based directly on Charles Bachman’s idea, and later a system developed by IBM.  Years later, others like MUMPS and PICK came onto the open market.  PICK was a creation that incorporated both an operating system and a database, all in one program.  MUMPS was different.  It was designed for programmers and used database as part of its program.

In 1970, the new relational type model was suggested by E.F. Codd as a real answer to ‘what is database’.  He saw the current models as too confusing, mixing up the structure of information with its ability to access various mechanisms.  However, it was quite sometime before computer experts took his idea seriously.  Unlike its predecessors, his idea was based on the fact that software and hardware would one day be more compatible.  Michael Stonebraker developed the Ingres version at Berkeley University, and then went onto create System R for IBM.  Though until 1976, they were still in the prototype stage.  They would not hit the open market as products until 1980 as DB2 and Oracle.  The first and most successful version for small business and home computers was called dBase, which relied mainly on MS-DOS systems.

As research continued in the 1980’s, focus shifted to the distribution of database type machines and systems.  However, this did not really change the market at the time.  Another research possibility was a system called the Functional Data Model, which was thought to only be good for genetical, biological and investigation style applications.  However, this still sparked little interest in the market.

By the 1990’s the focus changed to object-orientated systems that had shown a certain amount of success in handling much more intricate information than the earlier relational system, and could handle engineering, spatial and multimedia style databases.  As a result, manufacturers began incorporating these into their already existing products.  This paved the way for Open Source software like MySQL and PostgreSQL, and by the 21st century XML developed a new database model, taken from a system developed for the military and governments to use on its once secret Internet.

What is database? Its definition, once simple is set to expand even further.