Database

A database (DB) is a an organised collection of structured information which is stored and managed in a computer system. It may contain various types of data, such as text, numbers, dates, images and videos, amongst others. 

When we talk about structured information, we mean that it contains data which is interconnected and organised, not a jumble of random, disorganised data with no clear connection.

Although when we mention the databases Although we automatically think of a virtual database, the concept of a container for structured data has existed for centuries. 

For example, an account book or the Yellow Pages are rudimentary databases containing a large amount of well-organised and labelled data that can be searched.

Can a spreadsheet serve as a database? Whilst a spreadsheet can be used to store and manipulate data in a structured and categorised manner, Databases, as such, have the capacity to store vast amounts of information and offer highly effective functions for viewing, searching, updating and deleting data.

What are databases (DBs) used for?

The databases They are used to store large volumes of data efficiently in rows and columns. Furthermore, they offer the ability to carry out advanced queries and searches to retrieve specific information. 

These The categorised data will be examined in order to analyse it and draw conclusions on specific issues relating to the company’s commercial activities (user behaviour, sales, productivity, etc.) If you are interested in a career in this field, you can find out more about What should I study to become a data analyst?.

To search for very specific data in a database that stores large amounts of information enquiries are made or queries, for which the SQL programming language is usually used.

Types of databases

There are a multitude of databases which we can identify. These include:

Relational databases

These are the most widely used and are based on the relational model. They organise the data into tables with rows and columns, and establish relationships between tables using primary keys and foreign keys.

Non-relational databases

Also known as databases NoSQL (Not only SQL), These are databases whose information is not organised in a regular manner nor are they uniform, as they may incorporate various organisational models.

Hierarchical databases

At In this type of database, the information is organised into a hierarchical tree structure, where each record has a single parent record and may have several child records.

Network databases

Similar to hierarchical ones, Network databases organise data into a graph structure, where records may have multiple parent records and several child records.

Object-oriented databases

They store complex data and entire objects, rather than tables and records. These databases are useful for applications that handle complex data, such as images, audio or video.

Documentary databases

You are at databases store and manage complete documents, such as PDF files, text documents or XML files. They enable the indexing and searching of content within the documents.

Cloud databases

They are storage spaces that enable data to be managed in virtual databases online. They are characterised by their ability to store data of all sizes, their cost flexibility, their ease of access and their automatic data backup.

Time-series databases

They are specifically designed to handle data that changes over time, such as weather data, sensor data and financial transaction records, amongst others.

Spatial databases

You are at Databases are used to store and manage data relating to location and geography. They are useful in applications such as geographic information systems (GIS) or navigation.