This document provides an introduction to database management systems (DBMS). It discusses how a DBMS is used to create, store, organize and retrieve data from one or multiple databases. A DBMS includes four key components: users, database applications, the DBMS software, and the database itself. The DBMS software communicates with the database to perform functions like creating and modifying database structures and data. It also provides security, concurrency control and backup/recovery. Organizational DBMS are typically more complex, supporting multiple users, applications, computers, databases and tables simultaneously.