2 Introduction
An example database system is shown in the following diagram. It performs many of the same tasks as standard file-processing systems. However, its files have been integrated into a database that is processed by application programs. As shown in the example, accounts receivable, order entry, and purchasing systems perform their usual file-processing function, but they call upon the Eloquence database management system to access the database. More importantly, Eloquence DBMS can process the data as an integrated whole. Since the files have been created by the same system, all the data is compatible. This allows for integrated processing, which is the ability to index across the various files to extract related information.
For example, inventory data can be logically "tied to" several sales orders to represent the relationship between items in the inventory file and the sale of those items in the invoice file. This relationship can provide management with information such as the source of sales by salesman, region, customer and product type.
Figure 1 A Database System