What is a database?
Written by wwwhostingdirectory.com
Database is a word we all use quite often now, though it was considered jargon at a time. But what exactly is a database? We never stop to think about this. A database is a structured collection of all the information stored in a computer system. Two features that are essential for a database are enough space and accessibility. In addition, it must be easy to add information to the database. You will need a Data Management System or DSM to manage your database. There are five major types of databases. Each has a different way of structuring data.
The fist is the Flat Model Database. It’s named so because its structure is two-dimensional. There will only one column of information, and the assumption is that every piece of data in each new row of the column is related, as is the information in the column.
The second is the Hierarchical Model Database. This is like a tree diagram. Each set of links will be nested, to create different layers that have related information. For example, if the one nest might have addresses within a particular area. Within that nest, all data will be related at the same level.
The third type of database is the Network Model Database. Within this type of database, each piece of information will be linked to the others, as the name suggests.
The fourth is the Relational Model Database. This is the most powerful sort of database. It’s made of fields, tables, records and files. A field is one unit of data, a table is a collection of fields, a record a group of tables and a file is the whole, consisting of all the other units, the database. The advantage of this model is that information at any level can be accessed without anything being rearranged. To enable the records to be identified easily, each record has a primary key. You can work with a database using a Standard Query Language. This is the most accessible kind of database. For example, with the Relational Model Database, you can access information on, say, your favorite artist, all his paintings and where each painting is at that point in time.
Queries are requests to the database to get you certain information. A database must have space you store information. But it’s just as important that you’re able to access any piece of information in the database easily and quickly. Small databases can be on your computer itself, but large databases are stored using storage devices like hard disks, and are kept at some safe place. They are accessed by connecting the computer to them.
Another type of database is the Object Model Database. In the other models, there is a difference between the way the information is stored in the database – as tables – and the way it’s structured by the application programme when it’s retrieved, which is as objects. This model of database tries to cut this transition and bring the database and the application programme together.
Databases usually have security features like passwords. Some databases are public, and can be accessed through the internet, while others can only be accessed with security clearance of some sort from the owner of the website in question. This is necessary because the database might contain confidential information, or it might be your business. You might have a very large database on, for example, newspaper archives, and you might charge users a fee to access them. Many online businesses are of this nature.
It’s very important that you keep updating the information in the database. This is especially important if your database is the main part of your online business, but it’s also important even if you use the database to keep a record of your business. |
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