Database and Computing

Databases are used daily by large corporations, small businesses and individuals, often without people realizing they are using a database. Even something as simple as entering contact details into the “Contact” or Address Book’ section of an email client such as Microsoft Outlook/ Outlook Express, involves entering data into a database.

Data entered will generally be alphabetical (Names/Address) or numerical (Dates/ Currency),however Access is also able to store other forms of data, such as links to websites, documents created in other package as well as file attachments.

Data:

-Facts, statistics used for reference or analysis.

-Numbers, characters, symbols, images etc, which can be process by a computer

-Data must be interpreted, by a human or machine, to derive meaning

Information:

-Information is interpreted data

-Data that has been processed to produce meaning.

What is a database?

Generally, the word database is a computer term for a collection of information concerning a certain topic or business application. Databases help you organize this related information in a logical fashion for easy access and retrieval. Databases aren’t only for computers. There are also manual databases we simply refer to these as manual filing systems or manual databases systems. These filing systems usually consist of people, paper, folders, and filing cabinets- paper is the key to a manual database system.

An access database is nothing more than an automated version of the filing and retrieval functions of a paper filing system. Access databases store information in a carefully defined structure. Access tables store data in a variety of forms, from simple lines of text to complex data such as pictures, sound, or video images. Storing data in a precise, known format enables a database management system (DBMS) like Access to turn data into useful information. Table serves as the primary data repository in an Access database. Queries, forms, and reports provide access to the data, enabling a user to add and presenting the data in useful ways.