4 Types of Data Management Explained

Data management is an essential part of any business. Learn about the four main types of data management systems: relational database management systems (RDBMS), object-oriented database management systems (OODMBS), in-memory databases, and columnar databases.

4 Types of Data Management Explained

Data management is an essential part of any business. It involves the collection, storage, and organization of data to ensure that it is secure and accessible. There are four main types of data management: relational database management systems (RDBMS), object-oriented database management systems (OODMBS), in-memory databases, and columnar databases. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the right choice for your business depends on your specific needs.

Relational databases are the most common type of DBMS. They organize data into tables with rows and columns that contain database records. Related records in different tables can be connected using primary and foreign keys, avoiding the need to create duplicate data entries. Relational databases are built around the SQL programming language and a rigid data model that is best suited to structured data.

This, along with their support for ACID transaction properties (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability), makes them the best choice for transaction processing applications. NoSQL databases are often used in big data deployments because of their ability to store and manage various types of data. Big data environments are also often built around open source technologies such as Hadoop, a distributed processing framework with a file system that runs on clusters of basic servers; its associated HBase database; the Spark processing engine; and the Kafka, Flink, and Storm flow processing platforms. Increasingly, big data systems are deployed in the cloud, using object storage such as Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). Data scientists and other data analysts can also handle some data management tasks on their own, especially in big data systems with raw data that needs to be filtered and prepared for specific uses. Application developers often help implement and manage big data environments, which generally require new skills compared to database systems.

As a result, organizations may need to hire new workers or retrain traditional DBAs to meet their big data management needs. This is the process that adapts your data to the format necessary for it to be stored in the company's database. The types of data management tools in this category allow you to generate conceptual models and establish the consistency and quality rules that your data must meet. In-memory databases store all of their data in RAM instead of on disk drives. This makes them much faster than traditional databases since they don't have to wait for disk reads or writes.

However, they are also much more expensive since RAM is more expensive than disk storage. In-memory databases are best suited for applications that require extremely fast access times such as real-time analytics or high-frequency trading. Columnar databases store their data in columns instead of rows like traditional relational databases. This makes them much faster at retrieving specific columns of information since they don't have to read through entire rows of information. Columnar databases are best suited for applications that require fast retrieval times such as reporting or analytics. Data management is an essential part of any business.

It involves collecting, storing, and organizing data to ensure that it is secure and accessible. The right type of data management system depends on your specific needs. Relational databases are best suited for transaction processing applications while NoSQL databases are better for big data deployments. In-memory databases are best for applications that require extremely fast access times while columnar databases are better for applications that require fast retrieval times.