The document discusses database management systems (DBMS) and the relational data model. It defines a database and DBMS, describes the purpose of a DBMS in reducing data redundancy and inconsistencies. It also explains the three levels of database abstraction as internal, conceptual, and external levels and the concept of data independence. The relational and other data models like network and hierarchical are described along with their terminology. The document compares the different data models based on usability, implementability and performance.