Chapter 11. Accessing Databases

A database is a collection of data organized so that computer programs can readily access, manage, and update its contents. Although databases physically consist of computer files, applications that use databases don’t manipulate these files directly. Instead, applications send commands to and receive responses from a database management system (DBMS) such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access. A DBMS relieves the programmer of many tedious and intricate tasks involved in processing the database, and it also guards against the introduction of invalid data.

Nearly all modern databases conform to the so-called relational model and are, therefore, relational databases. The basic unit of organization in any relational ...

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