A data store is any collection of information or data in a computer system such that the data is accessible by one or more software applications. For example, a file system populated with various files is a data store. When a data store is organized to facilitate search and retrieval of information contained within the data store, the data store is a database.
Data stores and databases may be used for a wide variety of applications that may need to perform tasks such as the following: (1) inserting data into the data store; (2) deleting data from the data store; (3) modifying data in the data store; (4) organizing data; (5) searching for data matching search criteria; or (6) retrieving data. Some data stores provide a query interface to provide a mechanism to facilitate some or all of these tasks. A query interface facilitating these tasks in a database system is referred to as a database management system (DBMS).
Efficient data stores form the basis for a wide variety of data-intensive applications, such as, for example, enterprise business applications.