A database (DB for short) is a kind of highly advanced digital filing cabinet: an electronic container of data that serves two basic purposes, collecting information and making it available to whoever needs it. In digital marketing, people usually talk about customer databases.
Database definition
In computing, a database is a structured collection of related data. In practice, it is a system used to store, retrieve and process information, and above all to run complex queries.
A DB can be:
- local, meaning it is used from a single machine
- distributed, meaning it can be accessed from multiple machines over a network
Be careful not to confuse it with a Database Management System (DBMS).
The DBMS is the software (the set of programs) used to manage the database itself.
The best-known open source DBMSs include MySQL, Firebird SQL and InterBase, while popular commercial ones include IBM, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
What you can do with it
A database lets you perform complex operations that would normally be impossible to replicate by hand. That makes it useful for any kind of business. It is also scalable, which means its performance keeps up as the amount of data grows, without limits.
To get a sense of its huge potential, think of a spreadsheet with many more features added.
A well-structured database lets you:
- enter, edit and delete information
- sort and classify data
- run searches based on criteria you define
- create reports
- print summaries
All of this in very little time, simply and intuitively.
Types of databases
There are several database models, and you should choose one based on your needs.
Here are the main ones.
- Hierarchical Developed starting in the 1960s, these are the classic tree structures, still in use today.
- Network/CODASYL Conceived in 1973 and refined by the end of the decade, their main feature is that they use graphs to solve the data redundancy problem of the hierarchical model.
- Relational Originating in the 1970s, they went on to become the most popular database model. Put simply, they are the familiar tables made up of rows and columns.
- Object-oriented Although they emerged as an evolution of relational databases, they never fully replaced them. In practice, they are used in specific fields such as engineering.