database application software environment

Definition of terms ...

The development of application programs to be associated
with a database normally implies development by means of
stuff like vb, c, c++, java and/or a host of other development
tools and/or methodologies (such as OOP, etc).

The scope of such development in realtime applications usually
can be typified into specific modules.  Normally there is a core
business or organisational activity module (eg: educational course
management over terms, etc) which is then associated with a
number of financial modules dependent upon the financial
reporting requirements of the organisation (eg: AR, AP, GL, etc).

Normally, physically, the code associated with the above
is physically loaded into:
a) the end-client-user locations
b) the database server directories (eg:dlls, etc)
c) the database itself (eg: stored procedures)

The above decribed environment I term the database
application software environment.   Is this reasonable?
How is this environment defined by the academics?

In contrast, associated with the above development there must also
be highly integrated and coordinated development of the underlying
database.  This development work is conducted internal to the
database selected by the organisation (ie: rdbms vendor type
such as DB2, oracle, sql server, mysql, etc).

This second environment I term the rdbms/dbms environment.
Is this reasonable?  How is this second environment defined by
the academics?