One word Jennifer Widom uses to describe what a database management system can do is “massive.” I believe she uses massive to symbolize that there are large amounts of data a user stores. Trying to store and retrieve all this data with filing cabinets can be very difficult. Using a database management system can be very helpful and beneficial compared to a filing cabinet. Moreover, Jennifer uses the word “storage” as well. As I was saying, it is hard to store all this data in filing cabinets, so having the ability to store all the information in a database makes it a lot easier for the user to store and retrieve all the data they desire and need. Another term she uses is “safe.” I believe she uses the word “safe” to describe database management systems because if the user runs into problems, they can always retrieve the data at a later time. For example, if the power goes out, the user will not lose any of their essential data, and will be able to access it once they have power again. Another term she used and personally is my favorite is “multi-user.” This entails that many people can access the database management system at the same time, which can be very useful for businesses. For instance, if a company is having a meeting about revenues and expenses, everyone in the room can look at the same data on each of their computers. This leads to another word Jennifer used to describe a database management system, “convenient.” Going back to the business meeting example, it would be very convenient if everyone in the conference room could see the data on each of their own computers. They would not have to pass anything around, flip through the pages to try and find a set of data, it would all be organized and easily accessible.
Additionally, Jennifer Widom mentions the word “compositionality”, which means the set of data can have one query inside of another query. For example, people who own cars could be asked a series of questions, and data could be recorded for their answers, but then you could ask the same questions and record answers from the same people based on the make of their car, which would create a separate table.