DBMS is an acronym for database management system. RDBMS is the acronym for relational database management system. The acronyms should tell you that a database management system precedes and is essentially the foundation of a relational database management system. Also, a relational database management system is a specific type of database management system. In effect, all RDBMS are DBMS but all DBMS are not RDBMS. That’s just the theoretical reality.
Difference Between DBMS and RDBMS
If you wish to develop or work on a database, then you would need a database management system. It is essentially a software application that keeps all the data in one place and helps you to access any specific file or information in the database, to manage all your data, sort them, filter them when needed, amend them or update the information and to make larger changes. You can also import new data or export the existing database. A DBMS will be chosen depending on many factors. The type of software to be used, the language, the interface needed, the expansive features or scalability and many elements including affordability, technical knowledge of the users, the number of users, reliability and redundancy will influence the choice. Popular DBMSs are SQL, Oracle, Access and DB2 among others.
Now, a typical DBMS can have different ways of storing the data. The database may be hierarchical, object, network or relational among others. Traditionally, a database management system stores data as files. The files are sorted or stored hierarchically and you can access one or more files at a time. You can save new files, one or more users can use the same database at the same time and the storing of all the files is unrelated to other files.
A relational database management system is one where the data is stored in a tabular form. Every piece of information that goes into the database gets updated in the tabular form and every subsection or related information is in a related table. Today, most DBMS solutions are actually RDBMS solutions. Hence, the types of DBMS you are likely to come across would be RDBMS. Every major developer will make the software DBMS and RDBMS compatible.
It must be noted that a DBMS may also store data in tabular form but it would not have relational tables. The storage strategy for the data would be navigational or hierarchical in its simplest forms. Network or graphical model is also common but the tabular form with related tables is only found in RDBMS.
