Thato has always been interested in learning different things about the world. Besides his studies at college to become an environmental lawyer, he has done various short courses on multiple platforms. He started with a massive open online course (MOOC) on astronomy presented by a well-known university in the United States of America. He decided not to opt for the official certificate, so the study did not cost anything. However, it was still quite academic and not what he hoped to do for fun. So, his search continued. Then he found an international course marketplace, where the instructors posted their courses online, and anybody could enrol to watch the video material at any time. He has since learned how to paint watercolour flowers from an artist in Spain. Additionally, he learned how to repair broken ceramics from a wonderfully creative person in Japan and even how to create animated characters from somebody in Italy. These online courses cost him less than a good dinner since he patiently awaited special offers. After a while, he started wondering what he could learn from South African people. We have such talented creative people. Indeed, there must be great content out there. However, he could not find what he was looking for. Plenty of serious, academic short courses are usually available, with equally high prices too. There just was not a space for creatives to post their material. Thato wanted to fill this gap with our South African course marketplace website. Thato has started to think about what he will need to set up his course marketplace website. He has realised that there will be quite a lot of data that needs to be stored.
explain what a database management system (DBMS) is and why it would be helpful for Thato to have one. Include the five components of a DBMS. Include a description of each component and an example relevant to Thato’s course marketplace.
A database management system (DBMS) is a software application that allows users to interact with a database. It facilitates the creation, maintenance, and utilization of databases by providing various functions and tools. A DBMS is helpful for Thato to have because it will allow him to efficiently store, manage, and retrieve the large amount of data required for his course marketplace website. It will also ensure data integrity, security, and consistency.
The five components of a DBMS are:
1. Data Definition Language (DDL): This component is used to define and modify the structure of the database, including creating tables, defining relationships between tables, and setting constraints. An example for Thato's course marketplace would be defining tables for courses, instructors, users, and transactions.
2. Data Manipulation Language (DML): This component is used to manipulate the data within the database, such as inserting, updating, deleting, and retrieving records. For Thato's course marketplace, DML would be used to add new courses, update instructor information, delete old courses, and retrieve course details for users.
3. Data Query Language (DQL): This component is used to retrieve data from the database using queries. DQL allows users to specify the criteria for selecting data from the database. For Thato's course marketplace, DQL would be used to search for specific courses based on different criteria like subject, price, or instructor.
4. Database Management Language (DCL): This component is used to manage the database security, access control, and user permissions. DCL ensures that only authorized users can access the database and perform certain actions. For Thato's course marketplace, DCL would be used to control who can create, modify, and delete courses, as well as who can access user data.
5. Data Dictionary: The data dictionary is a centralized repository that stores metadata about the database, such as data definitions, schemas, relationships, and constraints. It provides a detailed description of the database structure and helps users understand and manage the data more effectively. For Thato's course marketplace, the data dictionary would contain information about tables, columns, relationships, and constraints to help maintain the database structure.
In conclusion, having a DBMS for his course marketplace website would be beneficial for Thato as it would provide a structured and efficient way to store, manage, and utilize the large amount of data required for the platform. It would also ensure data integrity, security, and consistency, ultimately improving the overall user experience.