Databases: What are they and why are they important?

Databases make the world go round. In this age of information, databases are arguably the most important piece of technology and will continue to impact technological development today and for generations to come.




Just about every application you have ever used relies on a database in one form or another and so today, we discuss the database. What is a database and why is it such a big deal?


DEFINITION:

Well, a database is defined as a collection of structured data or information. The collection in question is often stored on a computer and can be accessed, manipulated and/or managed through a Database Management System(DBMS). 

A DBMS is software that acts as a middleman between clients(users of the database) and the database and can also perform administrative tasks on the database.



DATA & INFORMATION: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Data is facts that pertain to a particular subject. For example: age, height, weight, photos, colleges attended, phone number etc...These are all facts that pertain to me, the subject.

Data is often not organized and/or structured and makes no sense as is.


Information is processed data. That is, when data has been structured and organized and thus makes sense or can be interepreted and used to draw conclusions, it is referred to as information.


TYPES OF DATABASES:

There's myriad of database types out there and a whole article can be devoted to them. However, here are the four types I deem important for us civilians and mere mortals:


Relational databases: here, data is structured into a series of tables which are made up of rows and columns. Relational databases offer the most efficient and flexible way to query(access and perform operations on) structured data as such, they are the most popular database type and have implementations offered by the likes of Amazon and Microsoft. Since data has to be structured to be stored, relational databases are highly suitable for storing data that is related to each other and are not appropriate for non-related collections of data.


NoSQL databases: these are sometimes referred to as non-relational databases. Unlike relational databases, there is no predefined structure for data entry and as such, NoSQL allows for either unstructured or semi-structured data to be saved. These databases have surfaced to meet the needs that arise from the increased popularity and complexity of web applications.


Distributed databases: these consist of files that are stored on different computers. The files that make up the database can be stored on two computers located in the same building, or two computers located in different parts of the world and even on computers connected to different networks


Cloud databases: these are specifically designed for the virtual environment(s) that cloud computing provides. This makes for high availability, relative ease when it comes to scaling(necessary growth to cope with increased demand) and a pay-as-you-go model.



The next time you open YouTube remember this: behind every rabbit hole is a sophisticated and mind-numbingly large database...







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