Data is a collection of distinct pieces of information that can be stored and processed digitally. A database is an organized collection of structured data stored digitally. A database management system (DBMS) is software that allows users to define, create, maintain and control access to a database. Common DBMSs include Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL. Relational databases organize data into tables with rows and columns and allow users to define relationships between tables. Keys like primary keys and foreign keys help define these relationships and uniquely identify rows. Structured Query Language (SQL) is used to communicate with databases to perform operations like querying and updating data.