What is a database and what is it used for?

Just what is a database? A database is a set of organised data.

• Databases are everywhere in work and home life
• Employers keep databases of personnel information
• Most goods and services businesses use databases for customers and orders
• Stores and warehouses use databases for inventory, location, value, stocktaking, ordering and reordering
• Government uses databases for almost every aspect of our lives
• Medicare claims, social security benefits, taxation payments, motor vehicle registrations and criminal records, etc., are all in databases
• Your details are already on many databases, whether you know it or not!

Why, When and How can Database Design Solutions help you?

• Why would you need a database?
  • To keep track of the personal details of your employees
  • To manage orders and invoices
  • To keep track of customer enquiries and your responses
  • And hundreds of other day-to-day business operations...


• When would you need a database?
  • If you've been using Microsoft Excel or something similar to try to keep track of various records
  • And if have found your present system to be inefficient or clunky...
  • Or if you are just starting a small business
  • And if you want access to cutting-edge technology to implement or upturn your business operations


• How would we—Database Design Solutions—provide it?
  • Meet or contact us to discuss your requirements
  • Plan ahead so that we, the developer, know what to implement in terms of a solution
  • Assess the various aspects of database design, which we can explain to you in plain-English
  • Showcase the solution prototype and determine what needs updating or alteration
  • Install the solution, test, launch and maintain it
  • Ensure you are satisfied with the outcome

By the way, we're dedicated not only to building databases but also to solving all manner of IT problems!

Why Database Design Solutions?

• You'll get a qualified and enthusiastic IT trouble-shooter and database designer
• You'll get an expert Microsoft Access, MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server problem-solver
• You'll pay prices that undercut the competition with better results
• Your IT headaches will disappear!

You may have heard of Microsoft Access, which has been used in the IT industry since 1992.

• We use the latest version, Access 2016 (and assess your compatibility requirements)
• Access databases are ideal for small businesses
• On the surface of most Microsoft Access databases is a switchboard
• This enables you to open forms and enter data, as well as review reports, notes, invoices etc.

Feel free to take a look at the following switchboard designs from these previous projects from D.D. Solutions: simply click the logos to open full-sized images of their respective switchboards.

Grove Securities Database Switchboard

Great Bay Marina Database Switchboard

Wakes Music DB Switchboard

Just so you can see how things are done, we use the following development software in our work at D.D.S.:

Access 2016

Excel 2016

Access 2016 in action (WakesMusicDB)

Access 2016 VBA coding in action

MySQL console

MySQL Workbench

SQL Server

MS Visual Studio 2017

Have a think about what you now know about databases. Could it save you time and money and/or increase productivity to implement one in your business as so many others, from tiny to gigantic, have done to good effect? Could it help maximise the efficiency of your business instead of using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or some dog-eared notebook? Or do you already have a database system in place and feel that it could use an upgrade, such as integration into your web service?

If you feel that you could utilise D.D. Solutions' IT services, please contact me at this email address or via mobile phone at 0421 028 606.

Finally, here's some information that seemed out of place in the main flow of this page and would seem to only fit properly in a footer area... for those who are interested in learning more about these fields of IT:

SQL and RDBMSes

A relational database is different from a flat-file database in that a relational database contains several or many tables containing data which is linked to other data in various ways. Microsoft Access is just one example of an RDBMS (relational database management system). Others include Oracle's MySQL (and its open-source fork MariaDB), Oracle's own proprietary RDBMS of the same name, Microsoft's SQL Server and its Transact-SQL or T-SQL form of SQL, PostgreSQL, and others.

SQL stands for Structured Query Language, which basically refers to the power of a relational database management system to run queries on data and bring forth the results that you need. For example, you may have a database of James Bond movies which you want to access in order to find out all the villians who starred in the Bond movie GoldenEye. Microsoft Access allows you to do this with a Query Wizard, whereas SQL language allows you to do this via the command line. Here is the result of the query in PostgreSQL:

Query on Villains in the Bond movie GoldenEye

SQL and the web have long been connected, and it is not unusual to see database driven websites using a combination of MySQL and PHP or some other server-side programming language.

Design Principles

Microsoft Access allows you to enter data into records where it will be stored for later retrieval. Similarly, other database programs, as in the PostgreSQL example above, allow you to examine data more or less however you like or are capable of.

Entering commands into a console is the way in which to create a database from the data provided, although you can load SQL scripts in programs like pgAdmin and MySQL Workbench. It is necessary to have a clear idea of the structure of the database before creating it, and to speed things up, one may use an Excel spreadsheet to format the data before entering it into the database.

Aside from a user interface (which is often a luxury that is dispensed with in larger solutions), generally behind every great database the following steps are taken and the following components included:

• A clear overview of the client requirements
• Fluid and clear communication between the client and the developer
• Concise, well-written and bug-free code
• Realistic "dummy data" that reflects the real-life data likely to be entered into the database
• The capacity to interact with the web, if necessary
• Adherence to good database design principles
• The client's and developer's frequent liaison (especially in initial development) to ensure maximum accuracy of design
• Complete and full client satisfaction with the final product

 

Prior Creations

In addition to the MS Access databases I have showcased above, I would like to present my Certificate III and IV revision websites, which are packed with information on all things IT:

• Certificate III Website
   
• Certificate IV Website

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