(DataBase Management System) Software that controls the
organization, storage, retrieval, security and integrity of data
in a database. It accepts requests from the application and
instructs the operating system to transfer the appropriate data.
The major DBMS vendors are Oracle, IBM, Microsoft and Sybase
(see Oracle database, DB2, SQL Server and ASE). MySQL is a very
popular open source product (see MySQL).| DBMSs may work with
traditional programming languages (COBOL, C, etc.) or they may
include their own programming language for application
development. DBMSs let information systems be changed more
easily as the organization's requirements change. New categories
of data can be added to the database without disruption to the
existing system. Adding a field to a record does not require
changing any of the programs that do not use the data in that
new field. Major Features of a DBMS The DBMS can prevent
unauthorized users from viewing or updating the database. Using
passwords, users are allowed access to the