Functions of the IMS Database Manager

A database management system (DBMS) provides facilities for business application transactions or processes to access stored information. The role of a DBMS is to provide the following functions:

• Allow access to the data for multiple users from a single instance of the data.

• Control concurrent access to the data to maintain integrity for all updates.

• Minimize hardware device and operating system access method dependencies.

• Reduce data redundancy by maintaining only one instance of the data.

• Interface with the operating system and manage the physical location of the data. Application programs that access and manipulate the data do not need to know where the data actually resides.

IMS DB provides a central point for the control and access to application data. IMS provides a set of utility programs that provide these functions.