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What is a Database Table?

January 28th, 2009 by Shenron

Databases are normally used to store information in a tabular form. It is almost the same as the spreadsheets found in Excel, but it is only there that their similarities end. Databases can be easily manipulated and accessed, unlike Excel’s spreadsheets. You can also link your databases with other software. Databases represent a more systematic storage since all information is arranged into tables. This way, any information stored is already placed in its own storage, thus, giving you an easy access to it. Another advantage of using a database table is that you can update the information stored by bulk and use them to cross reference with other tables easily. Using databases can be a big help, especially if you want to have your records stored and have an easy access.

Mysql Database Table Example

Database Table

A database is composed of tables, which stores related information. Tables are much like the ones you see in spreadsheets where there are rows and columns. A database table has a set number of columns, but it can have multiple rows. They are also used to better organize your records through the use of same characteristics and such. The database that you will use can have multiple tables. In order for the database to know which table it is supposed to access, it uses the primary key. A primary key can be one or more than one column. This way, once you want to input information or access one, all you need to do is type the primary key, and all the tables under it will appear. Some databases have their own unique primary key once you create a database just like the one found in Microsoft Access, although sometimes, it is considered to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage.

Tables may contain meta-information like constraints as well as values that may be included within columns. There are different kinds of databases that you may use. There is the relational database, flat file database, hierarchical database, and network database. All of these types have their own tables that hold information.

Why Use Database Tables?

Companies that have a large number of employees can use a database to store their records. Using the database table, columns can contain the employee ID, last name, first name, and middle name of the employee, while the rows are the ones that will hold the names of the employees of the company. Once you want to access a particular employee record, you can simply type in the primary key, and the record will immediately appear. Database tables are easy to create and manipulate. One of its features is its retrieval of records, which is far faster than other spreadsheets. A database needs to be able to hold a large number of information with the capability of fast retrieval before it can be considered to be an effective database. Once you have a general idea of spreadsheets, you wouldn’t have any trouble in using databases since they are almost the same. Remember that database tables are the ones that hold the information, and the information isn’t required to be physically stored in the computer holding the database.

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What is Database Auditing?

January 21st, 2009 by Shenron

Database auditing is the method done by database administrators in order to see the actions of its users. This procedure is often done to make sure that the database is accessed only by those who are allowed. The security of the database is, of course, the main priority of the administrator, thus, the need of database auditing. Database auditing can be based on a single or a combination of actions. Security measures will be activated once you, as the administrator, emphasize the keys that will need to be secured at all times.

Importance of Database Auditing

Most companies most often ignore the security of the database since they are more concerned with the security of the network. This should not be so. Databases should always be protected since it is here that most of the company’s information is stored. Any personnel having access to the company’s database may prove hazardous to the company itself since they may change it at whim. Most companies don’t have any idea on the dangers of this unless a database auditing is done. Letting other employees have access to the database may cost the company a lot of money.

Programmers would recommend to the companies that they establish a secure audit trail for their databases. This way, they will know what activities were happening around the database and know who has been accessing the files in the database. Securing the database can limit the possibilities of identity theft in most companies, which is one of the main concerns of every company. Programmers who are proficient in creating security programs for databases also recommend having encryption so as to give those who need to access the database enough control to enter it. This is to ensure that only a few employees can indeed enter the database.

Uses of Database Auditing

Auditing of database has many uses. This includes accounting for all the actions that are happening within the database. It can also stop unwanted persons from altering the contents of the database. Aside from this, database auditing can also be used to investigate unwanted activities within the database. One advantage of having a database auditing is that it immediately alerts the system administrator that there is an illegal activity happening. The administrator can respond quickly once he receives the alert.

These are only some of the uses of a database auditing. There are still lots of benefits that you can have in your company when you use database auditing. Imagine all of your important data being accessed by anyone within your company and being vulnerable without the help of the audit trail.

Database security is composed of four parts. These are the server security, database connection, table access control and restricting database access. The server security is the one responsible in preventing unauthorized personnel from accessing the database. In terms of database connections, the administrator should also check whether the updates done on the database are done by authorized personnel. The table access control shows the access keys of each authorized personnel and what tables within the database can they handle. Restricting database access is important especially for those who have their database uploaded in the internet. This will help prevent any outside source from entering or getting access to your database.

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Free Database Software Options

January 21st, 2009 by Shenron

The World Wide Web gives one person the ability to reach millions of people around the world. Your customers don’t have to go out and search for your address as they can simply go online and find you with a click of their mouse. This is why more than half of business transactions today are done online. From blogs to e-commerce sites, web applications are used all over the world.

Shopping online has become more and more common, and more consumers rely on online merchants to get their supplies. Businesses can also be transacted online that many entrepreneurs of today are taking advantage of the World Wide Web to bring their business across the world.

Why Use a Database Software

To be able to create your website, you need a database to store and manage your data, which are the contents of your web pages. There are different types of databases depending on what you need. Flat file databases are simple websites to publish small amounts of data that can be edited manually. Relational databases are more complex structures which can handle web interaction and applications.

Desktop and Server Databases

The simplest example is desktop databases. These are computers that are used by a single person who doesn’t need any web application. Other databases, on the other hand, that requires heavy duty application such as publishing content on the web, multiple users, and e commerce requires server databases.

Server databases can be expensive, but there are ways that you can publish your content online without spending a lot of money. Web operators can use a desktop database such as Microsoft Access to create HTML and data pages to publish their content on the web. This requires some manual installation though, and if you want to change or update your site, you may have to repeat the process. Apart from that, web operators can also create dynamic web pages with the same system. They can utilize Microsoft’s active server pages. Unfortunately, this is a Microsoft-specific type of technology, so the user needs compatible servers to go with the technology.

Free Database

Those who don’t want to spend any money at all can try free database software on the Internet. There are free database servers that can be found, such as the DB2 Express-C. It’s a fully functional free data server from IBM. It can be used to build and deploy applications. There are no fees for licenses, and it can be used free of charge. Unlike other free databases such as Oracle and Microsoft, DB2 does not have any restrictions on the amount of data that can be stored, resources that will be used to work at a high level of performance, and number of instances. You can store as much as you want, given that you have enough disk space, uses two processors with 4-GB memory and multiple databases of up to 256 for a single instance. Web operators can utilize many different tools on the web, and it’s just a matter of finding the right one for their needs, either Postgree or Mysql are good options. Free database software options are available on the web that delivers as much as other expensive systems.

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What are Database Models?

January 14th, 2009 by Shenron

Database models, also known as database schemas, shows the structure of the database or its format which is handled by the database management systems or DBMS. These schemas are stored in a dictionary of data and usually refer to the representation of data in a graphical format.

Database Models

A database model is also referred to as a theory of how a database is supposed to look like. There are numerous types of database models today and these are hierarchical model, network model, relational model, entity-relationship, object-relational model, and object model. These models not only represent how a database looks like but also what kind of operations that can be used to manipulate the data within. An example of operations that can be used in a relational model is select, join, and project. These operations may not be considered explicit in some query languages, but they are considered to be the stepping stone for the development of query languages. Word processors, mail mergers and information management systems are only some examples of what a database is.

Database models are usually the basis of a database structure so different techniques are applied into it. Database systems are normally centered on one type of database models, but it is not unheard of that some database structures can support different kinds of models. Products using databases give its users the right to fine tune its performance depending on their needs since this allows the product to be fully functional. This is why some databases can be used in other product or software.

Types of Database Models

The flat model is composed of two dimensional arrays where the members of a column are assumed to have the same values, while the values found in the rows are considered to be relational to one another. The flat model, however, may not be considered as a database model based on its definition.

Hierarchical model presents data in a tree-like structure. This model has an upward link that shows the hierarchy of the data stored. The upward link represents the nesting of data as well as the sorting field for each level. This type of model was frequently used during the early years of the database management system mainframes. The hierarchical model can be used not only in databases but also in real life such as in table of contents, recipes and the like. Though hierarchical model is commonly used, it still has limitations. One such limitation is its inability to represent the redundancy found in a data.

The network model uses records and sets, which are its two basic structures, when organizing data. Record contains the fields, while the set is the one defining the relationship existing between the records. The network model is considered to be a variant of the hierarchical model since it also has the same branching out of nodes. The only difference is that, in the network model, these nodes can be connected to one another, unlike the ones in the hierarchical model. The network model also has the capability of representing data redundancy.

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What is an Object Oriented Database?

January 11th, 2009 by Shenron

Working with complex information in large volumes requires more than just pen and paper. If you’re company handles information that measures well into the terabyte region, you may want to rely on a database management system that can go side-by-side with the demand of your business, both in reliability and in efficiency. If you want to have that and more, you may want to look more into the Object Database Management System.

ODBMS Defined

Object Database Management System is a kind of system that models and creates data into objects for retrieval and processing purposes. It is a product of integrating an object database with object programming languages. Every object in an ODBMS has its independent function or role to perform. This allows ODBMS to run multiple applications and, at the same time, cut the time spent on retrieving information and doing other functions.

Think about this for a second. In a car manufacturing company, each person has his own role to play. One does the chassis, while other takes care of the bolts. Meaning, one person (an object) deals with one aspect, while another person (another object) deals with another issue. This allows the plant manager (the OBDMS) to put all the processes together faster because it is already processed independently. True, the plant manager can build the car on his own, i.e., he puts all the bolts and welds the chassis etc., but it would have cost him more time and definitely more resources. The same process is employed by the OBDMS, which saves time and resources for other purposes.

One of the main features of an OBDMS is the use of a different type of query language and the use of both declarative as well navigational query systems. This feature has been deemed useful in accessing data faster because data can be retrieved directly without the need for joins as opposed to the tabular form used in relational databases.

ODBMS – Advantage and Disadvantages

There are certain benefits and disadvantages when one use the ODBMS technology. First off, using ODBMS is relatively simpler because you use and type less codes. This is because, unlike RDBMS which uses mostly SQL, ODBMS uses other programming languages like Java and C++. This means you don’t have to translate anything to sub-languages. Moreover, you can store complex data structures directly in an ODBMS without the hassles and the headaches that comes with translating complex data structures.

Another advantage of ODBMS compared to RDBMS is its speed. The programmer need not be terrorized by complex data because ODBMS allows users to use complex data directly off the disk. It is because, unlike RDBMS, data used in ODBMS is already in the format that programming languages like C++ and Java use. Depending on the complexity of the data structure you use, the omission of data translation from the system equation means less time spent on managing your system.

Of course, there are disadvantage to using ODBMS. First off, the system is completely different from RDBMS, and many programmers do not understand ODBMS. This means that it would cost you or your company more to train people to understand the system.

Another disadvantage is that more applications are built on existing RDBMS, which makes it hard if not impossible to move off to ODBMS. This could mean lesser interoperability that many take for granted with an RDBMS.

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History of Databases

January 11th, 2009 by Shenron

Databases go in hand in hand with the internet, computer software, and computer systems. Since the birth of the World Wide Web, information has become as valuable as gold. All the data that you see in the internet needs to have a logical structure so it could be published and read online. When we think of databases, many of us with no technical know-how will think that they were a recent invention. Databases have existed for thousands of years. Before computers were widely used, data was recorded with accounting systems by banks. Databases nowadays are more complicated than older systems, and they have come a long way since the early days of computing. They were managed by database systems that enabled data to be organized in a better structure for efficient use.

Older Database

In the early days of computing, the systems were linked to a custom database to provide speed. They were only used by big organizations for large sets of data. Apart from that, they were also very expensive because of the costs to make it. At that time, computers were still evolving, and the technology was fairly new, so they were considered as research projects. In the 1960s, as the computers developed more capabilities, general purpose databases appeared. Later on, a number of these database systems were used for commercial purposes. During that time, navigational database systems were created. The Integrated Data Store created the Database Task Group which made a standard system known as the Codasyl Approach which then became the basis of other commercial databases. This approach used pointers that led to other pieces of data. The programmer has to go through these pointers one at a time until he finds the required record. The program has to go through the whole data set and collect the results. In the 1970s, relational database systems were conceived. Edgar Codd proposed a new system which used tables instead of a linked-list system. In the navigational database system, the data was placed in a single record, while on the relational database, it is normalized and placed in a table. This proposition is the basis of modern databases. As the memory capacity increased and prices of components decreased, more and more vendors began developing and creating databases to address different problems that started to appear. All computer hardwares were incorporated with database management systems. At first, the database was specific to the computer, but competitors start to develop their own database to offer alternative solutions. In the 90s, the focus changed from having an accurate database to easy maintainable system. Databases became more sophisticated as memory capacity grew to accommodate larger data sets.

Newer Database

Nowadays, modern databases are becoming more and more complex as more information is created and spread. There’s always another version around the corner, and the internet is a very fast-paced world. The focus now is making databases that are easy to maintain and to upgrade at lower costs in a least amount of time possible. Newer technologies are being developed to put human resources to better use.

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Database Optimization

January 11th, 2009 by Shenron

In the fast-paced world of the internet, you need to keep yourself updated, so it’s important to keep your database maintained to make sure that your system performs well. In the World Wide Web, there are about hundreds of competitors, so it’s important to keep your website in top shape. Apart from database management, web owners should also use database optimization to boost the performance of their systems. Database optimization is becoming more and more of a challenge nowadays, especially when systems software changes constantly. Nonetheless, database administrators are making solutions to keep web owners and their businesses meet the demands of their customers.

Database Administration Softwares

There are different approaches to database administration, and there are also different ways that you can optimize your database to increase its performance, which will also improve your server. The optimization will depend on your database system software. Every database management system software has its own feature for optimization. Even though newer versions are always around the corner, there’s always a program that will enable the system to optimize itself. These softwares are programmed to collect and analyze necessary data, which is used to create decisions for optimization. These programs will be used regularly because more optimization is needed as more implementation is done on the database. Database systems are also getting more and more complex, so it’s important to keep your systems optimized to keep up with the changes in IT.

Indexing Overview

One of the ways in optimizing your database is indexing. This is done to increase the performance of queries. There are some queries that may vary from one another, but generally, all of them benefit from creating efficient indexes. Efficient indexes enable queries to avoid scanning the whole table for results. This method is done with Microsoft SQL servers. The SQL server has a built-in tuning wizard to help establish a set of indexes. It also updates statistical information to enable the optimizer to make optimum decisions in processing queries. Using this information, the wizard will give you suggestions in ways to improve query performance. Keep in mind that you also have to update your database performance analysis, so that you will be able to deal with the changes that occur with dynamic systems. Other systems such as the Oracle have a tuning mode for optimization. This includes an SQL tuning advisor and access advisor. These are used to improved SQL, which is used for packaged applications. It also uses sampling to collect data for optimization.

Optimization is one of the important ways to keep your systems in optimum performance. They may have different names, features and processes, but essentially, they help to increase the performance of your system.

Database optimizers are included in systems softwares which web owners can utilize. These are complex methods which will need an IT professional. Usually, these are daunting tasks, but nowadays, efficient softwares have features that enable optimization to be done much more efficiently. To be able to maintain the lifecycle of your database, owners have to make sure that their systems are doing well.

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What is an Embedded Database?

January 10th, 2009 by Shenron

When your work relies heavily on the computer or you basically keep all your important information in your desktop or laptop, it is very important that you get to access all your data at any given time without having any trouble doing so.

Your database software helps you do all the organizing and storing of all your data in such a way that your task is cut in half, and you generally have a more organized filing system as well as better computing applications to help you.

The question now is which database software can help you with your requirements, or better still, what sort of database application is perfect for you?

Embedded Database

Basically, when you want your database to be as organized and efficient as possible, you seek the help of a database administrator who, in turn, hooks you up with a reliable database software. However, there are individuals and offices who do not want to be troubled with looking for a good DBA or having to keep checking on their database system every so often to make sure that everything is in perfect order. What happens then is that they turn to embedded databases to do the work for them and fully maximize these to their advantage.

An embedded database is not a separate application in your Operating System, for instance, that you have to install. These embedded databases are included in the applications that you are already running in your computer such as your existing Operating System, so much so that you are actually not aware that they are there. Nevertheless, these embedded databases work just as efficiently, if not, more than the ones that you have to download and install and integrate into your computer system and network.

Some users, in fact, feel that there are more advantages to simply using an embedded database system than installing a new one separate from their applications/system.

Embedded Database Versus Database Software

An embedded database does need any administration at all, hence, or, at least, very little administration. You also won’t be troubled with regularly checking up on it or requiring permission from the administrator to access your files.

With a database software application, you not only have to have an expert database administrator to hook you up and run it for you, but you also need to closely work with a system administrator so the DBMS or database management system will run as smoothly as possible in your system.

Another downside to these large-scale database applications is that they are more costly than the embedded type. They also work slower than embedded databases because of their size.

If you’re worried about the dependability of an embedded database, don’t be. They are just as reliable as any other database software, and they also perform such tasks as backups and recovery of your data.

In a word, your use of an embedded database or a regular database software system largely depends on your requirements. If you are working on a huge network of computer systems or your requirements are large-scale, you would probably be better off not using an embedded database.

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What is Database Encryption?

January 10th, 2009 by Shenron

Nowadays, information is one of the most valuable commodities. The internet has enabled people to share information across the globe. Unfortunately, there are people who have found ways to take advantage of this as cyber crimes are now as common as the ones done in the streets. Like the criminals in the real world, thieves in the internet also adapt to the changes in their playing field, and these criminals gain or use their knowledge to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Due to this, IT professionals have developed ways to make sure that information and data is secured in any database. Encryption is the key in making sure that information in a database is secure.

Database Encryption

Database encryption is basically protection from the loss of important information. This loss can either be unintentional or intentional. Apart from someone getting access into your database, there are also other ways that you can lose data. Data can be lost through physical means such as swapping hard drives or if the storage device gets destroyed. Encryption then is a process which involves transforming information into an unreadable data through the use of an algorithm called a cipher. The person who knows the key is the only one who will able to read the data by deciphering it. This method was originally used by the military to communicate and prevent enemies from knowing their plans, but nowadays, it is used to protect pertinent information in computers, networks, mobile telephones, ATMs, and storage devices. In terms of networks, this involves the internet, particularly online merchants and e-commerce websites, where personal and financial information can be found.

Database encryption is common among online merchants. The most common example of this is passwords. When you type a password when checking your email or logging in to any type of account, you see symbols instead of the actual letters.

Database encryption depends on what you want to protect your system from, so encryption can be a daunting task especially if you are dealing with databases which are complex systems. It’s important to know what you are getting into because, if things don’t go as planned, you may end up spending the next couple of years making it all work.

Why Use Database Encryption

If you want to protect database objects, files, or storage media, you use encryption for media protection. If you want to give access to a few people or protect yourself from people who have privileged user access, you need encryption for separation for duties. This is more difficult because databases are literally complex. Databases have structured data such as indexes, and messing with them will have an impact on the performance of your database, apart from the normal effect encryption has on the system. This usually results into a 2- to 30-year project due to the changes that are going to be implemented on the database and on the applications.

So before you decide going for a database encryption, it is important to know what you are after and what you need to protect your system from to avoid a major headache.

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Database Architecture

January 10th, 2009 by Shenron

Every structure needs to be built for soundness and efficiency, which is why we hire professional architects to design the building. Without an architect, the structures would be disorganized, unstable, and inefficient. This principle holds true with our databases, which are structures in their own right, structures of data. Database architecture describes exactly how data flows in a system – its storage, its groups, its qualities, and all its other aspects, and it keeps the data in such a way that retrieval will always be easy and quick. It also describes the data’s nature and its structure. Database architecture describes exactly how the different aspects of a database relate to each other and how they are organized.

How Does It Work?

Different people design how their database is organized in different ways. Some people might want to make one large database which contains everything they need, or they might want to create several databases which are grouped according to their function. To make this concept more understandable, let me give you an example. Let’s say that one manufacturing company is making its database. For clarity, it could choose to keep their databases separate, or it could have one database for its products and another database for its employees or its payroll. And how these two are integrated into the company’s system is what database architecture is all about. It describes all the components or the objects in the database and how they relate to each other and also how they are organized. If the components are properly organized, then data retrieval will be very easy to facilitate. So, if the database architecture is good and properly structured, then everything will run smoothly.

The common types of database architecture include Object-oriented, hierarchical, relational, and networked. However, most people are content to use flat file, especially if the operations involved are not too complex and if the volume of the data being stored is just small. Those who are not experts in matters of databases will also be more comfortable using flat files. But flat files do have their disadvantages. When the operations that will be performed in the database are complex, simple database architectures won’t work well. This is when one must hire a professional database architect.

Database Architects

Basically, people hire a database architect to design the database, much like how a person hires a typical architect to design a building. They’re very popular these days, and quite a lot of them make a living out of designing the structure of databases. Database architects build the diagrams for the relationship of the data stored in your database. They design the program in such a way that adding new tables would be easily facilitated. Much like how an actual architect takes care of a building’s safety, database architects are the ones in charge of debugging the model, so that when it is put into actual use, there won’t be any glitches.

The problem with database architecture is that one design doesn’t fit all your problems. Usually, people need to create a new design that fit their needs specifically.

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