The data world is constantly evolving and changing, this in turn has created a necessity to have a solution, software or technology in place to handle the data in the proper manner. The need to create and manage properly is crucial for organizations. Data management systems are often designed to handle data in effective ways. An efficient system will help in accurate recording of data, updating and tracking it, indexing so that it can be retrieved in a faster manner. 

Today we look more in detail about two important terminologies: Database management systems (DBMS) and Relational database management systems (RDBMS) which are the backbone for any organization’s growth and help them to move forward in businesses and take strategic decisions related to business expansion, growth and sustainability. This article will give insight into the major difference between DBMS and RDBMS, purpose for which they are deployed and use cases. 

What is DBMS?

DBMS stands for Database Management Systems. It is a software which is used to create, manipulate, and extract data from databases. Data is stored in hierarchal or navigational form in Database management systems. A file system is used to store data and there is no relationship between the tables. Database management systems perform various types of operations such as insert , update and delete data records. Database management systems don’t provide much security of data and data can’t be normalized also. 

Applications of DBMS 

• Railway reservation systems
• Banking industry
• Library management systems 
• Credit card exchanges 
• Broadcast communications 

What is RDBMS?

RDBMS stands for Relational database management systems. It is an advanced model based on relational models. The tables in relational database management systems are interlinked to each other. It allows sorting, storing, organization and management of data more efficiently than the regular database management systems.

Relational database management systems support normalization in which data anomalies are removed to make the database in consistent state. It maintains data atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability which in turn increases data integrity.  Relational database management systems are more suitable for complex applications and multiple user scenarios. 

Applications of RDBMS 

• Used for managing inventory, stocks and payroll etc.
• Used for recording and managing day to day activities and transactions such as production, selling, income and expenses, purchases etc.
• Used for financial planning and development of business strategies
• Monitoring financial and economical state of an organization 

Difference between DBMS and RDBMS

Below table summarizes the differences between the two terms:

PARAMETER	DBMS	RDBMS
Definition	Software which provides systematic way of creation, retrieval and management of data in databases	DBMS based on relational model introduced by E.F. Codd
Data storage	Data is stored in hierarchical manner or in navigational form as files	Data is stored in tables and these tables are related to each other
Normalization technique	Can’t perform normalization	You can perform normalization
Data redundancy	Provides high data redundancy	Low data redundancy as it utilizes keys and indexes in tables
Data storage	Data may not be stored using ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) which are common inconsistencies in databases	Harder to create but consistent, well structured and follow ACID model
Data security	Less security for data when it comes to data manipulation	High security for data with multiple security levels during data manipulation. Log files are created at OS, command and object level
Ease of modification	Difficult to modify data	Easy to modify data
Characteristics	i.) More time required to access data	i.) less time required to access data
	ii.) No keys and indexes	ii.) has keys and indexes
	iii.) transactions are less secure and insufficient	iii.) more secure and efficient transactions
	iv.) ideal for storing small amount of data	iv.) ideal for storing large amount of data
	v.) allows management of databases on the system hard disks and computer networks	v.) Allows maintaining relationships among tables
	vi.) Data elements can be accessed individually at a time	vi.) Multiple elements can be accessed at the same time
	vii.) supports only single user at a time	vii.) provides support for multiple users at a time
	viii.) don’t support distributed databases	viii.) Supports distributed databases
	ix.) No support for integrity constraints	ix.) Supports integrity constraints at schema level
	x.) client server architecture not supported	x.) supports client server architecture
Softwares	Microsoft Access, Libra office, dBase, file systems etc.	MSSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQLite , PostgreSQL Neo4J etc.

Download the comparison table: DBMS vs RDBMS

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