Data storage systems have evolved significantly over the decades:

1960s-1970s: Hierarchical and Network Databases

Early database systems organized data in hierarchical tree structures or network models with complex relationships.

1970s-1980s: Relational Databases

Introduction of the relational model by E.F. Codd revolutionized databases with tables, rows, and columns, along with SQL as a standard query language.

1990s-2000s: Object-Oriented & Object-Relational

Databases evolved to handle complex data types and object-oriented programming concepts.

2000s-Present: NoSQL & Big Data

Development of non-relational databases to handle diverse data types, massive scale, and varying structures required by modern applications.