Application Software

Application software is a collection of programs which address a real-life problem of its   end users.

The different types of application software are:

1. Application Suite: Has multiple applications bundled together. E.g., MS Office which has MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, etc.
2. Enterprise Software: A single software for entire needs of an enterprise. E.g., ERP Applications like SAP.
3. Enterprise Infrastructure Software: Enterprise support software like email servers, Security software.
4. Information Worker Software: Addresses needs of individual user E.g., Spreadsheets, CAAT (Computer Assisted Audit Tools), etc.
5. Content Access Software: Used to access digital contents and entertainment. E.g., Media Players, etc.
6. Educational Software: Holds contents for students. E.g., Examination Test CDs.
7. Media Development Software: Addresses needs of printing & electronic media. E.g., Desktop Publishing, Video Editing etc.

Benefits of Application Software are:

1. Addressing User needs: It meets the exact needs of the user. This software is specifically designed to fulfill the needs of the user.
2. Less threat from virus: Application software are specifically devised to protect themselves from unauthorized access and virus.
3. Regular updates: Licensed application software gets regular updates from the developer to remove problems and for security reasons.

Disadvantages:

Development is costly: developing application software to meet specific user needs can prove to be quite costly.

Infection from malware: if an application software is used commonly by many people and shared online, it carries a real threat of infection by a computer virus or other malicious programs.

Database Management Systems (DBMS) Data, databases, data models:

• data is given facts from which additional facts can be inferred.
• database is a collection of facts(data)
• database model hierarchy.
• hierarchy of database is as under: