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What is a database?
A database is an organized body of data. Examples of data include
part numbers, product codes, customer information, and transactional data. A database is a store of data that describes entities and the relationships between the entities. Depending on the types and amounts of data that must be stored, databases can be quite complex.
When is a database needed?
Perhaps most businesses, if not all, could benefit from a database. Many businesses in fact can't survive without them! Not only can you store virtually any type of data, you can create complex queries to obtain valuable information from your data. For example, you may know that Customer A bought 25 units of product X. That is a piece of data. Now if you could query a database for "Show me all customers that bought units of product X and the dates that they purchased them." Now you have information! You can tell who your biggest purchasers are, observe buying habits, and identify possible trends in the market.
Having a database is virtually useless without an effective Database Management System. This is basically a software mechanism for managing that data. As shown under "Programming" we utilize various technologies to create a database management system or DBMS.
If your company is considering an entering the e-commerce arena, you will need a database. Following are the types of databases that we currently develop:
MS SQL - This is most often our recommended and preferred technology. MS SQL is scaleable and is a very robust solution.
Access - On less complex, less traveled sites, Access can be a viable option. Other factors need to be considered such as expected growth of the database and increase in utilization. Access Databases are also often used in custom-desktop applications in collaboration with Visual Basic.
MySQL - Although we can work with MySQL databases, they are not our first choice. Most industry sources will agree that MS SQL is a better option.
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