Database management system A database management system (DBMS) is a computer program (or more typically, a suite of them) designed to manage a database, a large set of structured data, and run operations on the data requested by numerous users. Typical examples of DBMS use include accounting, human resources and customer support systems. Originally found only in large companies with the computer hardware needed to support large data sets, DBMSs have more recently emerged as a fairly standard part of any company back office. DBMS's contrast with the more general concept of a database applications in that they are designed as the "engine" of a multi-user system. In order to fill this role, DBMSs are typically built around a private multitasking kernel with built-in networking support.
