What process involves the manipulation of a database to ensure its structure is defined?

The process that involves manipulating a database to define its structure is referred to as Data Definition Language (DDL). DDL comprises SQL commands that define or alter the structure of database objects, such as tables, indexes, and views. This includes operations such as creating, modifying, and deleting database schemas and objects. Fundamental commands that fall under DDL include CREATE, ALTER, and DROP, which are essential for setting up the framework for how data is stored and organized within a database.

In contrast, other processes mentioned serve different purposes. Data Manipulation Language (DML) is focused on the manipulation of data within existing structures, including tasks like inserting, updating, and deleting records. CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete, which describes the basic operations performed on data. Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) refers to a programming technique used to convert data between incompatible type systems in object-oriented programming languages. While all these concepts are important in database management, DDL is specifically the category that deals with defining and altering the structure itself.