Well howdy, welcome back to my blog. Today I would like to do an overview of databases and their general functions/purposes to you as a business person.
Primarily there are two types of databases that you should be aware of. The first one is the actual database itself; this organizes information and allows you to manipulate it a variety of ways to better help you analyze what is in front of you. The second type of database is a Database Management System (DBMS); this is not necessarily a database, so to speak, but is a way of controlling the databases you have already created.
A database can be used to analyze data in a countless number of ways, whether that be comparing you to the competition, organizing the purchasing patterns of your customers, determining the market segment to sell your product to, or keeping a record of your company’s money allocations, it works off the same idea. Take a bulk of “useless” information and put it into a legible, user friendly, useful analytical form. Moreover, a database can be just as simple as an email inbox or a pharmacy’s inventory.
Now, onto the second type of database; the Database Management System. This is essentially a requirement when working with databases for large corporations or industry giants. The DBMS is used to control and maintain the databases you’ve previously developed. This software helps you to integrate and collect data that would otherwise be independent of each other. For example, imagine if all hospitals were to use one single database. All the information from each patient, their sickness, recovery methods and results from treatment could be accessed with the click of a button, giving doctors a comprehensive view of what techniques work best, what medicines may have killed someone, or how long each person took to recovery from “X” accident.
Without the use of databases and DBMS’s you wouldn’t even be able to use a search engine. Not only do databases help organize information but they are an indispensible utility to all businesspeople, doctors, teachers and the like.
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