Data and databases are systematically organized collections of information. Data is raw unorganized facts, while a database stores data and allows it to be easily accessed, managed and manipulated. A database management system (DBMS) is software that allows users to perform operations on a database like accessing, inserting, deleting and updating data. Common DBMS types include hierarchical, relational and object-oriented databases. Structured Query Language (SQL) is widely used to manage relational databases, including functions like creating and modifying database structures, inserting and deleting data, and querying databases.