Understanding DBMS Architecture A Database Management system is not always directly available for users and applications to access and store data in it. A Database Management system can be centralised (all the data stored at one location), decentralised (multiple copies of database at different locations) or hierarchical , depending upon its architecture. 1-tier DBMS architecture also exist, this is when the database is directly available to the user for using it to store data. Generally such a setup is used for local application development, where programmers communicate directly with the database for quick response. Database Architecture is logically of two types: 2-tier DBMS architecture 3-tier DBMS architecture 2-tier DBMS Architecture 2-tier DBMS architecture includes an Application layer between the user and the DBMS, which is responsible to communicate the user's request to the database management system and then send the response from the DBMS to
The database management system can be divided into five major components, they are: Hardware Software Data Procedures Database Access Language Let's have a simple diagram to see how they all fit together to form a database management system. DBMS Components: Hardware When we say Hardware, we mean computer, hard disks, I/O channels for data, and any other physical component involved before any data is successfully stored into the memory. When we run Oracle or MySQL on our personal computer, then our computer's Hard Disk, our Keyboard using which we type in all the commands, our computer's RAM, ROM all become a part of the DBMS hardware. DBMS Components: Software This is the main component, as this is the program which controls everything. The DBMS software is more like a wrapper around the physical database, which provides us with an easy-to-use interface to store, access and update data.