11/02/2017 DBMSDataSchemas

DBMSDataSchemas
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DatabaseSchema
Adatabaseschemaistheskeletonstructurethatrepresentsthelogicalviewoftheentiredatabase.Itdefineshowthedataisorganized
andhowtherelationsamongthemareassociated.Itformulatesalltheconstraintsthataretobeappliedonthedata.

Adatabaseschemadefinesitsentitiesandtherelationshipamongthem.Itcontainsadescriptivedetailofthedatabase,whichcanbe
depicted by means of schema diagrams. Its the database designers who design the schema to help programmers understand the
databaseandmakeituseful.

Adatabaseschemacanbedividedbroadlyintotwocategories

PhysicalDatabaseSchemaThisschemapertainstotheactualstorageofdataanditsformofstoragelikefiles,indices,etc.
Itdefineshowthedatawillbestoredinasecondarystorage.

Logical Database Schema This schema defines all the logical constraints that need to be applied on the data stored. It
definestables,views,andintegrityconstraints.

DatabaseInstance
Itisimportantthatwedistinguishthesetwotermsindividually.Databaseschemaistheskeletonofdatabase.Itisdesignedwhenthe
databasedoesn'texistatall.Oncethedatabaseisoperational,itisverydifficulttomakeanychangestoit.Adatabaseschemadoesnot
containanydataorinformation.

Adatabaseinstanceisastateofoperationaldatabasewithdataatanygiventime.Itcontainsasnapshotofthedatabase.Database
instances tend to change with time. A DBMS ensures that its every instance (state) is in a valid state, by diligently following all the
validations,constraints,andconditionsthatthedatabasedesignershaveimposed.

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