Types of Databases

A database can be a set of flat files stored on computer tape or disk or it could consist of database tables that are managed by a Database Management System (DBMS).

There are different types of DBMS products: relational, network and hierarchical. The most widely commonly used type of DBMS today is the Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS).

Some Data Base Management Systems can be accessed directly using programming languages such as COBOL while others provide their own programming language for interacting with the database.

Many DBMS applications also provide reporting and query tools to view data in the database.