Database software role definition: A _____ is a software program that serves as the interface between application programs and a coordinated, integrated set of files known collectively as a database.

Introduction / Context:
Applications rely on a specialized software layer to access, manage, and safeguard organizational data. Correctly naming this layer is foundational to understanding information system architecture and responsibilities.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We need the term for software mediating between applications and the database.
• The database is an integrated collection of files with schemas, constraints, and indexes.
• The interface layer handles queries, security, and transactions.

Concept / Approach:
A Database Management System (DBMS) provides Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML), enforces integrity, controls concurrency, and recovers from failures. It exposes uniform access (for example, SQL) to varied storage and indexing strategies.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the mediation tasks: query processing, security, transaction control.Map these tasks to the standard term: DBMS.Eliminate unrelated or broader system categories.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reference architectures show: Application → DBMS → Storage. The DBMS provides catalogs, optimizers, and logging to guarantee ACID properties.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• DDS: Ambiguous; not the standard umbrella term.
• MIS: An application class built on top of a DBMS.
• Control: Not a recognized product category for database mediation.
• None of the above: Incorrect because DBMS is correct.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing MIS (information reports) with the underlying DBMS; they operate at different layers.

Final Answer:
DBMS