Database management

Terms related to databases, including definitions about relational databases and words and phrases about database management.

3-T - DIS

3-tier application architecture - A 3-tier application architecture is a modular client-server architecture that consists of a presentation tier, an application tier and a data tier.
ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability) - ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability) is an acronym and mnemonic device for learning and remembering the four primary attributes ensured to any transaction by a transaction manager (which is also called a transaction monitor).
active directory - Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft's proprietary directory service.
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) - ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is an application program interface from Microsoft that lets a programmer writing Windows applications get access to a relational or non-relational database from both Microsoft and other database providers.
AdventureWorks Database - AdventureWorks Database is a sample OLTP database that Microsoft ships with all of its SQL Server database products.
AlwaysOn Availability Groups - AlwaysOn Availability Groups is a database mirroring technique for Microsoft SQL Server that allows administrators to pull together a group of user databases that can fail over together.
Amazon DynamoDB - Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service offered by AWS, designed to provide low latency and high performance for applications.
Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) - Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a managed SQL database service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon Simple Database Service (SimpleDB) - Amazon Simple Database Service (SimpleDB), also known as a key value data store, is a highly available and flexible non-relational database that allows developers to request and store data, with minimal database management and administrative responsibility.
Apache Giraph - Apache Giraph is real-time graph processing software that is mostly used to analyze social media data.
Apache HBase - Apache HBase is a column-oriented key/value data store built to run on top of the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS).
Apache Hive - Apache Hive is an open source data warehouse system for querying and analyzing large data sets that are principally stored in Hadoop files.
application server - An application server is a server program in a computer in a distributed network that provides the business logic for an application program.
archive - An archive is a collection of data moved to a repository for long-term retention, to keep separate for compliance reasons or for moving off primary storage media.
AS1 (Applicability Statement 1) - AS1 (Applicability Statement is a specification for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) communications between businesses using e-mail protocols.
ASP.NET (ASP+) - ASP.NET (originally called ASP+) is the next generation of Microsoft's Active Server Page (ASP), a feature of their Internet Information Server (IIS).
Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) - Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) is a technology that uses optical character recognition (OCR) to automatically read license plate characters.
autonomous transaction - In Oracle's database products, an autonomous transaction is an independent transaction that is initiated by another transaction.
Azure Data Studio (formerly SQL Operations Studio) - Azure Data Studio is a Microsoft tool, originally named SQL Operations Studio, for managing SQL Server databases and cloud-based Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse systems.
B-tree - A B-tree is a method of placing and locating files (called records or keys) in a database.
Basic Assembler Language (BAL) - BAL (Basic Assembler Language) is a version of IBM's assembler language (sometimes called assembly language) for its System/360 and System/370 mainframe operating system.
binary tree - A binary tree is a method of placing and locating files (called records or keys) in a database, especially when all the data is known to be in random access memory (RAM).
BLOB (binary large object) - In computers, a BLOB (binary large object), pronounced BLAHB and sometimes spelled in all lower case, is a large file, typically an image or sound file, that must be handled (for example, uploaded, downloaded, or stored in a database) in a special way because of its size.
block - A block is a contiguous set of bits or bytes that forms an identifiable unit of data.
blockchain - Blockchain is a record-keeping technology designed to make it impossible to hack the system or forge the data stored on it, thereby making it secure and immutable.
business rule - A business rule is a statement that describes a business policy or procedure.
C++ - C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is viewed by many as the best language for creating large-scale applications.
Cassandra (Apache Cassandra) - Apache Cassandra is an open source distributed database system that is designed for storing and managing large amounts of data across commodity servers.
catalog - In computing, a catalog is a directory of information about data sets, files, or a database.
CICS (Customer Information Control System) - CICS (Customer Information Control System) is middleware that sits between the z/OS IBM mainframe operating system and business applications.
cloud database - A cloud database is a collection of informational content, either structured or unstructured, that resides on a private, public or hybrid cloud computing infrastructure platform.
cloud database - A cloud database is a collection of informational content, either structured or unstructured, that resides on a private, public or hybrid cloud computing infrastructure platform.
cloud DBMS (cloud database management system) - A cloud database management system (CDBMS) is a database management system that is hosted by a third-party service provider on a remote server and accessed over the Internet.
cold backup (offline backup) - A cold backup, also called an offline backup, is a database backup during which the database is offline and not accessible to update.
Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) - Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) is Microsoft's technology for building messaging or collaboration applications or adding these capabilities to existing applications.
column database management system (CDBMS) - There are different types of CDBMS offerings, with the common defining feature being that data is stored by column (or column families) instead of as rows.
column-level encryption - Column-level encryption is a method of database encryption in which the information in every cell (or data field) in a particular column has the same password for access, reading, and writing purposes.
columnar database - A columnar database is a database management system (DBMS) that stores data in columns instead of rows.
columnstore index - A columnstore index is a type of index used to store, manage and retrieve data stored in a columnar format in a database.
comma-separated values file (CSV) - In computers, a CSV (comma-separated values) file contains the values in a table as a series of ASCII text lines organized so that each column value is separated by a comma from the next column's value and each row starts a new line.
Commerce XML (cXML or Commerce Extensible Markup Language) - Commerce XML (cXML) is a standard for the online exchange of business transaction information in common formats.
concurrent processing - Concurrent processing is a computing model in which multiple processors execute instructions simultaneously for better performance.
conformed dimension - In data warehousing, a conformed dimension is a dimension that has the same meaning to every fact with which it relates.
contiguity - Contiguity (from Latin contiguus and contingere, to have contact with) is the state of being in close proximity with or even touching another object.
contiguous - Contiguous describes two or more objects that are adjacent to each other.
cooked data - Cooked data is raw data after it has been processed - that is, extracted, organized, and perhaps analyzed and presented - for further use.
CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) - Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) is an architecture and specification for creating, distributing, and managing distributed program objects in a network.
correlated subquery - A correlated subquery is a SQL query that depends on values executed by the outer query in order to complete.
CouchDB - CouchDB is an open source document-oriented database based on common web standards.
CRM analytics - CRM (customer relationship management) analytics comprises all programming that analyzes data about customers and presents it to help facilitate and streamline better business decisions.
cryptographic nonce - A nonce is a random or semi-random number that is generated for a specific use.
customer data integration (CDI) - Customer data integration (CDI) is the process of defining, consolidating and managing customer information across an organization's business units and systems to achieve a "single version of the truth" for customer data.
customer segmentation - Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing a customer base into groups of individuals that are similar in specific ways relevant to marketing, such as age, gender, interests and spending habits.
DAO (Data Access Objects) - DAO (Data Access Objects) is an application program interface (API) available with Microsoft's Visual Basic that lets a programmer request access to a Microsoft Access database.
data - In computing, data is information that has been translated into a form that is efficient for movement or processing.
data abstraction - Data abstraction is the reduction of a particular body of data to a simplified representation of the whole.
data aggregation - Data aggregation is any process whereby data is gathered and expressed in a summary form.
data analytics (DA) - Data analytics (DA) is the process of examining data sets in order to find trends and draw conclusions about the information they contain.
data availability - Data availability is a term used by computer storage manufacturers and storage service providers to describe how data should be available at a required level of performance in situations ranging from normal through disastrous.
data corruption - Data corruption is the deterioration of computer data as a result of some external agent.
Data Definition Language (DDL) - Data Definition Language (DDL) is a standard for commands that define the different structures in a database.
data dictionary - A data dictionary is a collection of descriptions of the data objects or items in a data model for the benefit of programmers and others who need to refer to them.
data fabric - A data fabric is an architecture and software offering a unified collection of data assets, databases and database architectures within an enterprise.
data ingestion - Data can be ingested in real time or in batches.
data integrity - Data integrity is the assurance that digital information is uncorrupted and can only be accessed or modified by those authorized to do so.
data management as a service (DMaaS) - Data management as a service (DMaaS) is a type of cloud service that provides enterprises with centralized storage for disparate data sources.
data mart (datamart) - A data mart is a repository of data that is designed to serve a particular community of knowledge workers.
data mining - Data mining is the process of sorting through large data sets to identify patterns and relationships that can help solve business problems through data analysis.
data modeling - Data modeling is the process of documenting a complex software system design as an easily understood diagram, using text and symbols to represent the way data needs to flow.
data preprocessing - Data preprocessing describes any type of processing performed on raw data to prepare it for another processing procedure.
data profiling - Data profiling is the process of examining, analyzing and reviewing data to collect statistics surrounding the quality and hygiene of the dataset.
data quality - Data quality is a measure of the condition of data based on factors such as accuracy, completeness, consistency, reliability and whether it's up to date.
data scrubbing (data cleansing) - Data scrubbing, also referred to as data cleansing, is the process of amending or removing data in a database that is incorrect, incomplete, improperly formatted or duplicated.
data set - A data set is a collection of data that contains individual data units organized (formatted) in a specific way and accessed by one or more specific access methods based on the data set organization and data structure.
data source name (DSN) - A data source name (DSN) is a data structure that contains the information about a specific database that an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver needs in order to connect to it.
data splitting - Data splitting is an approach to protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access by encrypting the data and storing different portions of a file on different servers.
data store - A data store is a repository for persistently storing collections of data, such as a database, a file system or a directory.
data structures - A data structure is a specialized format for organizing, processing, retrieving and storing data.
data warehouse - A data warehouse is a federated repository for all the data collected by an enterprise's various operational systems, be they physical or logical.
database (DB) - A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily accessed, managed and updated.
database abstraction layer - A database abstraction layer is a simplified representation of a database in the form of a written description or a diagram.
database activity monitoring (DAM) - Database activity monitoring (DAM) systems monitor and record activity in a database and then generate alerts for anything unusual.
database automation - Database automation is the use of unattended processes and self-updating procedures for administrative tasks in a database.
database management system (DBMS) - A database management system (DBMS) is system software for creating and managing databases.
database marketing - Database marketing is a systematic approach to the gathering, consolidation and processing of consumer data.
database normalization - Database normalization is intrinsic to most relational database schemes.
database replication - Database replication is the frequent electronic copying of data from a database in one computer or server to a database in another -- so that all users share the same level of information.
database-agnostic - Database-agnostic is a term describing the capacity of software to function with any vendor’s database management system (DBMS).
Database: Glossary - This is a glossary of database-related terms.
Db2 - Db2 is a family of database management system (DBMS) products from IBM that serve a number of different operating system (OS) platforms.
DDBMS (distributed database management system) - A DDBMS (distributed database management system) is a centralized application that manages a distributed database as if it were all stored on the same computer.
deep analytics - Deep analytics is the application of sophisticated data processing techniques to yield information from large and typically multi-source data sets comprised of both unstructured and semi-structured data.
delimiter - In computer programming, a delimiter is a character that identifies the beginning or the end of a character string (a contiguous sequence of characters).
denormalization - Denormalization is the process of adding precomputed redundant data to an otherwise normalized relational database to improve read performance of the database.
digital photo album - A digital photo album is an application that allows the user to import graphic image files from a digital camera, memory card, scanner, or computer hard drive, to a central database.
dimension - In data warehousing, a dimension is a collection of reference information about a measurable event (fact).
dirty data - In a data warehouse, dirty data is a database record that contains errors.

DIS - OPE