DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

DBMS can be classified by their data model (e.g., hierarchical, network, relational, NoSQL, object-oriented), the number of users supported (single-user vs. multi-user), their distribution (centralized vs. distributed), and their purpose (e.g., operational vs. analytical). Each category represents a different way of organizing and accessing data to meet specific needs.

• Hierarchical: Organizes data in a tree-like structure with parent-child relationships.
• Network: Similar to hierarchical but allows a child to have multiple parents, creating a more flexible graph structure.
• Relational (RDBMS): Stores data in tables with rows and columns, with relationships defined through keys.
• Object-Oriented (OODBMS): Stores data as objects with both attributes and methods, supporting object-oriented programming principles.
• NoSQL: A broad category for systems that manage large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data, including document, key-value, column-family, and graph databases. 

• Single-user: Designed for use by only one person at a time.
• Multi-user: Supports multiple users accessing the database concurrently. 

• Centralized: All data is stored and managed in a single physical location.
• Distributed: Data is spread across multiple locations, which can be homogeneous (same DBMS software) or heterogeneous (different DBMS software with middleware). 

• Operational (OLTP): Optimized for day-to-day, high-volume transactions.
• Analytical (OLAP): Designed for complex queries and data analysis, often drawing data from multiple operational systems.