Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A relational database is a database based on the relational model. Strictly speaking, this means a relational database takes the form of a specific collection of data. The database software that is used to manage the data is called a relational database management system, or RDBMS. (However, common usage doesn't always preserve this distinction.) Relational databases should be stored in normal form. See also Database management system (DBMS) External links A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks: By E. F. Codd This article contains material from relational database at FOLDOC; used with permission. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.