The first database management system (DBMS) was developed in the 1960s by IBM research and development employee Edgar F. Codd. Codd’s work on database management systems was motivated by the need for businesses to be able to effectively store and retrieve large amounts of data in a timely manner. Prior to the development of DBMSs, data was typically stored in flat files, which made it difficult and time-consuming to search for specific information or to generate reports.

Codd’s work on DBMSs led to the development of the relational model for database management, which has become the most widely used model for databases. In this model, data is organized into tables, or relations, with rows representing individual records and columns representing the different attributes or fields of each record. This model allows for easy manipulation and retrieval of data, as well as the ability to create complex relationships between different data sets.

Codd’s work on DBMSs and the relational model has had a significant impact on the field of computer science and has revolutionized the way that businesses and organizations store and manage data.