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Advantages Of A Relational Database

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Advantages of a Relational Database

The relational database provides a number of advantages over previous models, such as the following.

• Built-in multilevel integrity: Data integrity is built into the model at the field level to ensure the accuracy of the data; at the table level to ensure that records are not duplicated and to detect missing primary key values; at the relationship level to ensure that the relationship between a pair of tables is valid; and at the business level to ensure that the data is accurate in terms of the business itself. (Integrity is discussed in detail as the design process unfolds.)

• Logical and physical data independence from database applications: Neither changes a user makes to the logical design of the database, nor changes a database software vendor makes to the physical implementation of the database, will adversely affect the applications built upon it.

• Guaranteed data consistency and accuracy: Data is consistent and accurate due to the various levels of integrity you can impose within the database. (This will become quite clear as you work through the design process.)

• Easy data retrieval: At the user’s command, data can be retrieved either from a particular table or from any number of related tables within the database. This enables a …show more content…

Many RDBMS programs also provide the tools you need to create end-user applications that interact with the data stored in the database. Of course, the quality of an RDBMS is a direct function of the extent to which it supports the relational database model. Even among “true” RDBMSs, support for the relational database varies among vendors, and there is yet to be a full implementation of the relational model’s potential. Despite this, all RDBMS programs continue to evolve and become more full-featured and powerful than ever

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