Finding a good and reliable database is very vital. You must ensure that the processing power of a database allows it to manipulate the data it houses, so it can: sort, match, Link, aggregate, skip fields, calculate and arrange.
Because of the versatility of databases, we find them powering all sorts of projects. A database can be linked to any of the following:
- A website that is capturing registered users
- A client-tracking application for social service organizations
- A medical record system for a health care facility
- Your personal address book in your email client
- A collection of word-processed documents
- A system that issues airline reservations
The following are the important points to look for when searching for a database more information can also be found when you click here to know more about remote database services. There are a number of characteristics that distinguish the database approach from the file-based system or approach. The below describes the characteristics of a good database system.
- Self-describing nature of a database system.
A database system is referred to as self-describing because it not only contains the database itself, but also metadata which defines and describes the data and relationships between tables in the database. This information is used by the DBMS software or database users if needed. This separation of data and information about the data makes a database system totally different from the traditional file-based system in which the data definition is part of the application programs.
- 2. Insulation between program and data
In the file-based system, the structure of the data files is defined in the application programs so if a user wants to change the structure of a file, all the programs that access that file might need to be changed as well.
On the other hand, in the database approach, the data structure is stored in the system catalogue and not in the programs. Therefore, one change is all that is needed to change the structure of a file. This insulation between the programs and data is also called program-data independence.
- 3. Support for multiple views of data.
A database supports multiple views of data. A view is a subset of the database, which is defined and dedicated for particular users of the system. Multiple users in the system might have different views of the system. Each view might contain only the data of interest to a user or group of users.
- 4. Sharing of data and multi user system
Current database systems are designed for multiple users. That is, they allow many users to access the same database at the same time. This access is achieved through features called concurrency control strategies. These strategies ensure that the data accessed are always correct and that data integrity is maintained. The design of modern multiuser database systems is a great improvement from those in the past which restricted usage to one person at a time.
Once you find a database with the above qualities, you are rest assured of privacy, efficiency and safety of your files and systems.