A database is a shared collection of related data used to support organizational activities. A database management system (DBMS) is a computerized data system that allows users to perform operations on a database. DBMSs can be classified based on data model (relational, hierarchical, etc.), number of users supported (single or multi-user), and database distribution (centralized, distributed, homogeneous, heterogeneous). Database users include end users, application users, application programmers, sophisticated users, and database administrators.