This is the first chapter in the web lecture series of Prof. dr. Bart Baesens: Introduction to Database Management Systems.

Prof. dr. Bart Baesens holds a PhD in Applied Economic Sciences from KU Leuven University (Belgium). He is currently an associate professor at KU Leuven, and a guest lecturer at the University of Southampton (United Kingdom). He has done extensive research on data mining and its applications. For more information, visit http://www.dataminingapps.com

In this lecture, the fundamental concepts behind databases, database technology, database management systems and data models are explained. Discussed topics entail: applications, definitions, file based vs. databased data management approaches, the elements of database systems and the advantages of database design.