1. The document provides an overview of database management systems (DBMS), including their key characteristics, architecture, data models, schemas, and independence. A DBMS stores data in a way that makes it easier to retrieve, manipulate and generate information from it.
2. A typical 3-tier architecture separates a DBMS into 3 tiers - a database data tier, application middle tier, and user presentation tier. This makes the system highly modular and independent.
3. Common data models include the entity-relationship model and relational model. The entity-relationship model represents real-world entities and relationships, while the relational model stores data in tables and uses normalization.