We explain what a database is and what it is for. Also, what types of databases exist, and some examples.
What is a database?
It is called a database, or also data bankstill set of information belonging to the same context systematically ordered for subsequent recovery, analysis and/or transmission. There are many forms of databases today, ranging from a library to the vast user data sets of a telecommunications company.
Databases are the product of the human need to store information that is, to preserve it against time and deterioration, to be able to refer to it later. In that sense, the emergence of electronics and computing provided the essential digital element to store enormous amounts of data in limited physical spaces, thanks to its conversion into electrical or magnetic signals.
The management of databases is carried out through management systems (called DBMS by its acronym in English: Database Management Systems or Database Management Systems), currently digital and automated, which allow orderly storage and rapid retrieval of information. The very principle of computing is found in this technology.
In the formation of a database different models and paradigms can be followed each one endowed with characteristics, advantages and difficulties, emphasizing its organizational structure, its hierarchy, its capacity for transmission or interrelation, etc. This is known as database models and allows the design and implementation of algorithms and other logical management mechanisms, depending on the specific case.
Types of databases
There are different classifications of databases, based on specific characteristics:
- According to its variability According to the data recovery and preservation processes, we can talk about:
- Static databases Typical of business intelligence and other areas of historical analysis, they are read-only databases, from which information can be extracted, but not modified.
- Dynamic databases Apart from basic query operations, these databases handle processes of updating, reorganizing, adding and deleting information.
- According to its content According to the nature of the information contained, they can be:
- Bibliographical They contain various reading material (books, magazines, etc.) organized based on key information such as the data of the author, the publisher, the year of publication, the subject area or the title of the book, among many other possibilities.
- Full text They are handled with historical or documentary texts, whose preservation must be at all levels and are considered primary sources.
- Directories Huge lists of custom data or email addresses, phone numbers, etc. Service companies manage huge customer directories, for example.
- Specialized Databases of hyper-specialized or technical information, designed based on the specific needs of a specific audience that consumes said information.
Database Examples
Some possible examples of databases throughout history are:
- Telephone directories Although out of use, these voluminous books used to contain thousands of telephone numbers assigned to homes, companies and individuals, to allow the user to find the one they needed. They were cumbersome, heavy, but complete.
- Personal files The set of life writings of an author, researcher or intellectual are often preserved in an archive, which is organized based on the preservation and reproduction of the originals, allowing their consultation without putting the original document at risk.
- Public libraries The perfect example of databases, as they contain thousands or hundreds of thousands of records belonging to each book title available for loan, whether in the room or in circulation, and of which there may be more than the same copy in the deposit. Librarians are in charge of designing these systems and ensuring their operation.
- Transaction records The operations carried out with a credit card, as well as the calls made with a cell phone, or other types of daily commercial transactions, all generate a set of records that will be stored in a company database.
- Medical history Every time we go to the doctor or a hospital, the information regarding our health, the treatment received and other medical details is updated in a file that keeps a record of our medical history, in case we need to know specific data in the future, such as operations or treatments received.
