A database is a collection of related data organized into tables. Data is any raw fact or statistic, and is important because all decisions depend on underlying data. A database management system (DBMS) is used to organize data into tables to avoid problems with file-based storage like inconsistency, redundancy, integrity issues, and security problems. It allows for concurrent access. DBMS are widely used in real-world applications like movie theaters, prisons, and banks to manage related information. A table in a database contains records organized into rows with attributes or fields forming the columns. A key uniquely identifies each record.