The IBM Information Management System (IMS) is a hierarchical database and information management system developed by IBM in the 1960s. It is designed to manage large volumes of data efficiently and is widely used in industries such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications. IMS supports both online transaction processing (OLTP) and batch processing, making it versatile for various applications. IMS consists of two main components: the IMS Database and the IMS Transaction Manager. The database component organizes data in a tree-like structure, allowing for quick access and retrieval. The transaction manager handles the execution of transactions, ensuring data integrity and consistency during processing.