All databases store and manipulate data, but the database model determines how the data interacts and is displayed. There are five main models: flat, hierarchical, network, object, and relational. Each model has its own structure and purpose, with the relational model being the most popular due to its ability to group data in understandable ways.
In the broadest definition, all databases are equal in that they store data and the data can be manipulated or retrieved. At the same time, there is one aspect that defines every database called the database model. The database model is the structure of the data, and the model determines how the data interacts and how it is displayed. There are five main database models, although some database designers create hybrids of the models to meet the needs of the entity requesting the database. These five models are the flat model, the hierarchical model, the network model, the relational model and the object model.
The flat database model is the simplest of all databases. It is used when all values in the database are similar and there is only a small amount of information that needs to be stored. This schema shows all of the data in a table or spreadsheet, with each row representing a different record. Commonly, to protect the database, each row will have a different password.
In the early days of database development, the hierarchical database model was one of the most popular and is still commonly used in 2011. Within this database, each record has a hierarchy, from broad to specific records. This database is built with a parent-child relationship, which means that a large record – or a parent – will open to reveal specific – child records. The network database model is almost the same as the hierarchical model, except that several parents can connect to the same child, allowing this model to perform more complex interactions.
The database object model takes care of creating tables within tables to prevent database overload. For example, in most other database models, each record will need to be coded separately in the database. In the object model, a master table can be created and each record in that table can contain other similar records. This allows those similar records to be encapsulated separately, making it easier to maintain your organization.
Since its inception in the 1970s, the relational database model has been the most popular model, due to its ability to group data in ways that are easy to understand and call. As the name suggests, this model primarily deals with the relationship between datasets and finds the commonalities between records to make it easier for administrators to call similar data. These databases also use several tables simultaneously, and each record can have a key that separates it and allows for more complex relationships.
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