Introduction to Databases
Define the fundamental role of databases in modern software applications by examining the limitations of simple file storage. Understand how databases ensure data integrity, security, availability, and scalability, which are critical requirements for complex System Design.
Problem statement
Consider a messaging application similar to WhatsApp. To operate reliably, the system must store and retrieve user data, such as contact lists and message history. Although this data could be stored in flat files, that approach introduces several practical limitations:
Limitations of file storage
Concurrency: Managing concurrent access by multiple users is difficult.
Access control: Granting granular access rights to different users is complex.
Scalability: Performance and availability degrade as the number of entries increases.
Search speed: Searching content becomes inefficient as the file size grows. ...