What is the primary purpose of a database management system (DBMS)?

The primary purpose of a database management system (DBMS) is to facilitate the creation, manipulation, and maintenance of databases. A DBMS serves as an intermediary between users and the database, allowing users to perform operations such as inserting, updating, and deleting data, as well as querying the database to retrieve specific information. It enables efficient data organization and management while providing essential tools for defining data structures and relationships.

While ensuring data security and privacy, analyzing data, and providing user interfaces for data entry are important aspects of database systems, they are secondary to the fundamental role that a DBMS plays in handling the overall management and operation of databases. By focusing on the creation, manipulation, and maintenance, the DBMS addresses the core functionalities necessary for effective data handling in various applications.