Database Architecture

Databases work on an already established architecture. The database architecture is sometimes and by some specialists regarded as an extension of data modeling which may be used to answer requirements of different users from the same database. Each of these requirements is met with the help of the database architecture, an aspect that consists of three levels, internal, external and conceptual.

The external level of the database software is able to define the manner in which each user of the database can understand the organization of its respective relevant data. This usually means the different user views. One such database can have a large number of views at the external level. The conceptual level has been designed as a way to link different external views with a coherent global view. The conceptual level is designed to provide the common-denominator of all the external views and it is meant to comprise all the generic data that the user might need. For instance, this might mean data that the user may derive or compute. The conceptual level is not something that end users may work with and it is ‘hidden’ so to speak. It is however important for data application developers and it is in the end defined by database administrators. The internal level of databases has the purpose to optimize the work of the end user. It mainly deals with storage layout, supports storage structures and may store data of individual views. This level is hidden as well and it cannot be seen or worked with by end users but it which plays an important role in the overall functioning of the database architecture.

Database administrators, individuals who usually contribute to the database design are responsible for maintaining and updating each of these three levels, according to the changing needs of the users.