This document provides an overview of database management systems and the normalization process. It begins with definitions of data hierarchy and traditional file processing approaches. It then describes the benefits of a database approach using a DBMS, including features like querying, backup/replication, and security. Components of a DBMS are explained, including data definition languages, data manipulation languages, and the data dictionary. Common data models like hierarchical, network, relational, and object models are also summarized. The document concludes by defining key concepts in normalization like functional dependencies and normal forms, and providing an overview of the normalization process.