DBMS vs File System

Prior to the development of databases, businesses or people frequently held information in files. File-based systems were created as a result of early attempts to automate the storing and retrieval of files. In these, information had to be stored and maintained redundantly because there was no general-purpose data management software available. The customer's address and phone number, for instance, might have been kept in both the ORDERS file and the CUSTOMER master file in a file system that tracked customers and their orders. This unnecessary redundancy resulted in resource waste and, more significantly, data inconsistency. It is preferable to keep crucial information just once, in a single location, in order to preserve consistency in a database.

The data structures for storing data are integrated in the application program itself with file processing application software written in a third-generation (programming) language (3GL), such as COBOL or C. In contrast, a database management system (DBMS), usually referred to as a data dictionary, maintains definitions and descriptions of structures and restrictions. By isolating the application software from the data, the catalog—which serves as a repository for data structures and real-world constraints—improves upon the preceding file processing method significantly.
Data structures need to be modified regularly since real-world situations are frequently in flux. Data relationships are continuously changed, and new data items are added. File systems are not flexible enough to quickly alter data structures without significantly altering the application program. As a result, a key benefit of the database method is the program independence between the application software and the underlying data. Without having to spend money and risk errors rewriting the application software, the data content and structure can be changed as needed as requirements in the database system change.
An ordinary operating system supports the typical file processing system. Permanent records are kept in a variety of files by the system, and different application programs are required to extract records from the right files and add records to the right files. Until the advent of database management systems, corporations often used such systems to store information. Modern database management systems solve the shortcomings of file processing systems. We can distinguish between DBMS and flat file systems on the following grounds: