The Various Users of a Database System

The persons who maintain and use a database are called database users. There are three kinds of database users. These are:

• End Users

The end-users are the persons who use a database to get Information. They retrieve data and use the information for decision-making.
The end-users need not have the knowledge of the databases
They only interact with the database through an interface without writing any program or command) An end-user usually uses menus, icons, and buttons or just writes a few keywords in the interface to get the desired information.

• Data Administrator

Data Administrator is responsible for the definition, organization, supervision, and protection of data in a database. He serves as a bridge between the users and the database administrator.
major duties include:

• Develop functional requirements for the database.
• Participate in the logical design of the database.
• Supervise data sharing and data communication.
• Analyze current and future data needs of the organization and make plans for enhancing database capabilities.

• Database Administrators

The person who maintains a database is called the Database Administrator or DBA.) The responsibilities of a database administrator are:

• to install the database software on the computer,
• to manage database operations,
• to ensure that only authorized end-users have access to the database, and
• to make regular backups of the database to ensure that if the database breaks down, a copy of the data is always available to restore the database.

The database administrators also work closely with the data administrators. They guide data administrators about the requirements of the organization whose data is to be managed.