You might not realize it, but databases are everywhere.

Whether or not you know very much about

them, their effect on our daily lives is extensive. From weather applications to the movies you watch
online, databases are responsible for many of the services we utilize daily.

We have collected a few of the more well-known examples of how databases enhance your day-to-day
life below. The most popular database server in our industry, MySQL, is prevalent in virtually every
example listed below.

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1. Online Television Streaming

Any online streaming service, such as Hulu or Netflix, uses databases to generate a list of TV shows and
movies to watch. The database tracks an individual’s show preferences, and provide a list of
recommended viewing.

The power required to analyze such an enormous amount of data is done through highly-specialized
database management technology, such as Cassandra. In fact, Hulu has recently been relying heavily on
Apache Cassandra.

2. Social Gaming

Gaming done across social networks is extremely data intensive. Gathering individual player information
from around the globe and serving it to players on demand requires a high availability database
software.

One example is the popular Game of Thrones Ascent, a free role-playing game launched by Disruptor
Beam and based on the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones. Their Percona Server-based database solution
helps eliminates data bottlenecks during high-usage periods.

3. Personal Cloud Storage

If you save photos or documents to your smartphone or tablet, it’s likely your data is stored in “the
cloud,” a large, central storage environment with a small portion dedicated just to you.

Syncing this data across your devices requires powerful databases able to call up your data at a
moment’s notice, wherever you are.

4. Sports

Fan participation in national sports doesn’t just utilize the power of the database, it depends upon it.
From fantasy football leagues to March Madness brackets, they all depend on huge databases full of
player statistics. This includes game performances, injury reports, and more, all calculating the odds of a
win on a weekly basis.

5. Finances
From the stock market to your local bank, databases are abundant across the financial world. Tracking
the vast amount of information behind the world’s daily transactions requires extremely powerful
databases. This includes financial models that analyze that data to predict future activity.

6. Government Organizations

Government organizations around the world are constantly collecting data for research, defense,
legislation, and humanitarianism purposes, to name a few. This data is collected, stored and analyzed
using powerful and far-reaching database services.

7. Social Media

Every social media platform stores reams of user information in databases used to recommend friends,
businesses, products, and topics to the end user. This cross-referencing of data is immensely complex
and uses highly reliable and capable database software. For example, MySQL is used in Facebook data
centers.

8. eCommerce

Any online organization that sells its products or services uses databases. This includes activities such as
organizing their products, pricing information, and user purchase history. The eCommerce store owner
can then recommend other potential products to customers using platforms such as WooCommerce.

This data is stored in highly secure databases, protected by the standards set through PCI Compliance.

9. Healthcare

Doctor’s offices and healthcare organizations, among others, store extensive amounts of patient data
for easy accessibility. The databases behind this collection of information are large and complex and
secure protected data. This is in compliance with HIPAA standards.

Healthcare.gov relies on a NoSQL database to manage their health insurance information. Cassandra is
one such example of a NoSQL database software.

10. Weather

Predicting the weather across the globe is incredibly complex. The predictions depend on a myriad of
factors, all gathered, stored and analyzed within databases. This allows the data to be ready to deliver
today’s weather to your local TV station or smartphone app.

The Weather Company, for example, takes in over 20 terabytes of data per day. The company has used a
number of databases to support this data, including MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Cassandra, and more.

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How Are Databases

Used in the Real
World?
By AJ Graham
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Databases are obviously used in business applications and

financial transactions; however, databases are not just used for
business applications. Your grocery store, bank, video rental store
and favorite clothing store all use databases to keep track of
customer, inventory, employee and accounting information.
Databases allow for data to be stored quickly and easily and are
used in many aspects of your daily life. This article was stored in a
database and its content was retrieved and displayed in your
browser.

History

Several types of databases have been around since the early

1960s; however, the most commonly used type of database was
not created until the early 1970s. Relational databases are the most
commonly used type of database. Created by E.F. Codd, relational
databases have given rise to a digital organizational tool used by
countless companies and individuals. Computer systems replaced
outdated forms of paper communication and paper file storage.
Computer databases were used as a way to store and manage large
amounts of information digitally. Companies began to use
databases for a means of inventory tracking, customer
management and accounting purposes.

Significance

The move from paper to computer databases was a huge leap in

information management and storage. Databases are much more
efficient than paper storage in that they take up less space, are
easily accessed by multiple users at once and can be transferred
long distances with virtually no delay. The use of databases
allowed for the rise of corporate infrastructure, credit card
processing, email and the Internet. Databases allow for data to be
shared across the world instead of being housed in one location on
a physical piece of paper.

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Function

Databases are used just about everywhere including banks, retail,

websites and warehouses. Banks use databases to keep track of
customer accounts, balances and deposits. Retail stores can use
databases to store prices, customer information, sales information
and quantity on hand. Websites use databases to store content,
customer login information and preferences and may also store
saved user input. Warehouses use databases to manage inventory
levels and storage location. Databases are used anywhere that data
needs to be stored and easily retrieved. The filing cabinet has all
but been replaced by databases.

Types

There are several types of databases that can be used in real-world

scenarios. Flat-file databases are generally plain text files that can
be used by local applications to store data. Flat files are not as
popular as relational databases. Relational database are databases
with related tables of information. Each table has a number of
columns or attributes and a set of records or rows. Relational
databases are popular because of their scalability, performance
and ease of use.

Benefits

Because databases are stored digitally, multiple users in different

locations can view the data in more than once place. Because
banks store their customer information and balances in a database,
you can use any branch for deposits and withdrawals. Databases
allow more flexibility because they are in a digital format.
Companies use databases for inventory and item pricing. A retail
chain can see when stores are low in inventory and automatically
order more. Prices can be updated across the country instantly as
compared to having to manually do it at each store. Databases are
used to distribute data quickly and easily because they are only
updated once and can be read by many users.
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How Are Computers

Used in Industry?
By Shanika Chapman
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Businesses today have a wide range of uses for computers. This

has been a necessity for industry as a way to utilize their resources
more efficiently, as well as a way to reach a larger group of
potential customers. As a result, IT jobs have been flourishing for
some time due to industry's reliance on computers for their daily
operations.

How Are Computers Used in Industry?

credit: nd3000/iStock/Getty Images

Inventory Tracking

Using spreadsheets or databases, most businesses utilize some sort

of computer maintained inventory tracking system.

Payroll

From printing or depositing paychecks, to applying raises and

bonuses, industries have become very reliant on computer
management.

Payroll
From printing or depositing paychecks, to applying raises and
bonuses, industries have become highly reliant on computer
management.

Web Sites

All industries have been migrating towards the Internet over the
past two decades, resulting in the need for maintained websites,
requiring not only server space, but maintenance and updates to
these sites as well.

Customer Databases

Customer databases are used not just to track order information

for clients, but also to chronicle interactions to better serve clients
in the future.

Cash Registers
Modern cash registers are often networked computer systems,
allowing companies to maintain much more up-to-date and
accurate transaction records, as well as real-time inventory
tracking.

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What Are Uses for a

Database?
By Nick Davis
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The humble database affects almost every aspect of daily life --

from grocery store inventories and cable-TV subscriber
information to marketing mailing lists and issuing payroll checks
to employees. Databases aren't just for big business, though. You
can create a handy personal or family database to keep track of
just about anything, including your video game collection, recipes,
contacts, music CDs and books.
What Are Uses for a Database?

credit: Rawpixel Ltd/iStock/Getty Images

Databases for Businesses

The business world depends on databases 24 hours a day, seven

days a week. Inventory, order processing, payroll, accounting,
shipping and transportation routing are often tracked within a
main database that keeps the company functioning.

Databases for Education

From elementary schools to colleges, educational institutions use

databases to keep track of students, grades, transfers, transcripts
and other student data. There are even specialized database
packages geared toward schools and colleges.

Databases for Non-Profits

Like businesses and educational institutions, non-profit

organizations use systems to track information. Many charities
and other non-profit groups use a database to store details of
donations, volunteers, hours served in the community, clients
helped and other information related to the organization.

Databases for Household and

Family Management

The database also has a role in household and family management.

Many people use databases to keep track of family birthdays, bills
and expenses in the home; addresses of friends and relatives and
movie/DVD collections.

Everyday Uses For Databases

Each time you make a purchase and the sales clerk asks for your
address or ZIP code, your information is kept and stored on a
customer database. These collections of data are used to send
mailings of special offers, discounts and other deals.

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Advantages &
Disadvantages of a
Computerized
Database
By StevenHill
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Databases allow the storage and retrieval of large amounts of

information. Before computers, databases were limited in size by
physical constraints. Computerized databases have removed those
handcuffs, enabling a seemingly endless amount of digital data to
be stored. Before purchasing or using a database, consider the
advantages and disadvantages of such usage.
Computerized databases allow access to large amounts of data.

Ease of Storage

Databases make it easier for you to enter and store data. The type
of data stored can range from customer information to personal
material, such as a catalog of books or movies. Databases allow
you to automate the storage of this data. After you have set up a
database to collect whatever information you wish stored, the
collection process becomes streamlined. By investing a small
amount of time configuring a database, you can save large
amounts of time in data entry.
Information Retrieval and Security

Storing and organizing information in a computerized database

makes that information more easily accessible. Unlike using a file
cabinet database or library, the user can simply type a query into
database management software and have the results delivered
quickly. The database can also be secured against unwanted
access. Databases can use security features such as data
encryption and password protection to avoid the possibility of
information breaches.

Complexity

Computerized databases are complex applications. They require a

great deal of programming knowledge to create. Due to the variety
of data that might be stored in a database, any such application
must be custom-made to suit that particular type. Programs often
require specialized hardware and software to work. Because of
this complexity, database software can prove expensive to create
and purchase. Should a database become damaged, transferring
the contained data can be difficult or impossible.
Incidental Costs

By choosing to use a database, you may incur incidental costs.

Not only must you purchase the database application itself and
any required hardware, you must learn to use it. If you run a
business, you must pay for your employees' training. This training
might entail hiring instructors, sending employees to classes or
even having them learn on the job. No matter how you choose to
train them or yourself, you lose the time put into training and the
money that could have been made in that time.

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Advantages &
Disadvantages of
Normalizing a
Database
By Alan Chester
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Computer databases are everywhere, from those used by banks to

track customer accounts to those used by websites to store
content. Databases work best when they are designed well.
Normalizing a database means to design the database structure to
store data in a logical and related way. It is usual for all databases
to be normalized, and normalizing a database has advantages and
disadvantages.
Databases are an important part of modern computing systems.

Reduces Data Duplication

Databases can hold a significant amount of information, perhaps

millions or billions of pieces of data. Normalizing a database
reduces its size and prevents data duplication. It ensures that each
piece of data is stored only once.

Groups Data Logically

Application developers who create applications to "talk" to a

database find it easier to deal with a normalized database. The
data they access is organized more logically in a normalized
database, often similar to the way in which the real-world objects
that the data represent are organized. That makes the developers'
applications easier to design, write and change.

Enforces Referential Integrity on

Data

Referential integrity is the enforcement of relationships between

data in joined tables. Without referential integrity, data in a table
can lose its link to other tables where related data is held. This
leads to orphaned and inconsistent data in tables. A normalized
database, with joins between tables, can prevent this from
happening.

Slows Database Performance

A highly normalized database with many tables and joins between

the tables is slower than a database without those attributes. Many
people using a normalized database at the same time also can slow
down database speed. In some cases, a certain amount of
denormalization of the database may be required to improve
database speed.

Requires Detailed Analysis and

Design

Normalizing a database is a complex and difficult task. Large

databases with considerable amounts of information, such as ones
run by banks, require careful analysis and design before they are
normalized. Knowing the intended use of a database, such as
whether it should it be optimized for reading data, writing data or
both, also affects how it is normalized. A poorly normalized
database may perform badly and store data inefficiently.

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Why Are Spreadsheets

Important?
By Kristy Martz
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Spreadsheets are an important, powerful and versatile business

tool, and can provide and store valuable information. Spreadsheets
can hold as little or as much information as necessary. Some
spreadsheet programs can also work together with other programs,
such as word processing and presentation software.

Purpose

Simply put, spreadsheets are used to compile data.

Functions

Spreadsheet programs allow you to sort and rearrange data in

order to analyze and make decisions.

Benefits

Spreadsheets are important for keeping information electronically

; this is more time efficient than sorting through mounds of
paperwork to gather crucial bits of information.

Software

If you have Microsoft Office, you can use Excel to create

spreadsheets. OpenOffice has a free, open source spreadsheet
program.

Uses
Spreadsheets can be used to create many sets of data including
address listings, budgets, customer information, sales tracking
reports and financial statements.

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4. HOW TO CO NVERT SDF T O X LS

How to Convert Sdf to

Xls
By DavidG
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A .Standard Database Format (sdf) file is a database file storing

information in fields of fixed length. A Microsoft Excel (xls) is a
spreadsheet file, storing data entries in rows and columns. A .sdf
file can be converted to an .xls file using the appropriate software
application.

Both .sdf and .xls files are used to store data in tables,

Step

Use Flyhoward SDF Viewer (comes as a free trial). This program

allows you to view, sort and edit .sdf databases before exporting
to .xls format. It is compatible with the Windows operating system
through Windows 7.

Step

Use CONVERT (free version available). This application cannot

convert to .xls directly, but can save your .sdf database as a
comma separated values (.csv) file. Once you have the data in .csv
format, Microsoft Excel can change the extension to .xls using its
"Save As" function.

Step

Use SdfBrowser (also free). This program allows you to open and
view .sdf databases. You can then select the data you wish to
convert, and either copy and paste into a new Excel spreadsheet
(.xls), or use the program's "Export Selected Data" function to
save the data directly as an .xls.

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hat is a database?

At its simplest expression, a database is a gathering of information, here called data, stored on a server.
The data is organized in a way it can easily be retrieved, managed and edited in significant ways by the
end-user. The data could be something very simple such as personal information about clients or
customers. It could also be inventory, sales, calls or anything anyone needs to track. It’s up to the user to
determine what data needs to be aggregated and the format it will take.

When you’re using a database, the data is not stored on your computer’s hard drive but in the cloud on
a server, somewhere. Using a database management system (DBMS), calls/queries are made to retrieve
the information. This part is called the back-end. To present the data in a consequential way to the user,
web developers create a web site and easy to use database applications. This part is called the front-
end.

Even if there are many other database models such as hierarchical and network models, the relational
database model is the most common. The relational database model was developed in the early 1970’s
and it is still the most common model to this day. The data is stored in relations, taking the form of
tables made of columns (fields) and rows (records/items). To access and interact with the data
contained in a relational database, its user needs to use a relational database management system
(RDBMS). The most common language used to query and manage relational databases is SQL
(Structured Query Language).

SQL: The Classic

SQL is the language most IT experts use to interact with relational databases. These interactions are
called transactions. To be efficient and accurate, transactions must be ACID (atomic, consistency,
isolation, durability). Atomic means the transaction is all or nothing. Consistency refers to the fact that
the database must remain in a consistent state before and after the transaction. Isolation means all
transactions must be independent of one another. Durability refers to the fact that a transaction cannot
be undone after the user has been notified of a successful transaction.

The best example I can find to explain SQL and its ACID properties is a banking system. Let’s say I want
to transfer funds from my own account to my husband’s. There will be a series of calls or queries made
to send the money from one account to the other. All calls must be answered and completed in order
for the transaction to be completed. If a call fails, the transaction will not be completed and we’ll both
keep our money (atomic). The information in each of our account won’t be affected by the transaction
(consistency). Each call made to the database will only be related to our transaction (isolation). Finally,
once the transaction is successful, we won’t be able to cancel it (durability).

The best-known RDBMS using SQL to create and query databases are IBM DB2, Oracle, Microsoft Access
and MySQL. Examples of SQL-based databases citizens use every day include banking systems,
computerized medical records, and online shopping to name just a few.

Pros of SQL

 Well-known language, has been around for over 40 years.

 Great storage solution (servers, not your hard drive!)

 Allows query of the entire database

 Allows relations between tables

 The best solution for structured data and transactional needs

 Can be accessed by many users at the same time

Cons of SQL

 Need for deep expertise of programming skills: steep learning curve

 Poorly designed database calls for poorly managed data

 Some will say that SQL is not easily scaled-out

 Not the best solution when dealing with data growing exponentially (ex. social media)

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NoSQL/NewSQL: The Hipsters

NoSQL refers more to what it is not then to what it is. It refers to a language system not using SQL. It is
mostly used for unstructured data in situations where the ability of the database to accept (create) or
access (get) large amounts of data quickly is required. It offers great flexibility with alternative data
models (ex.: non-relational data, unstructured documents). It doesn’t always bother with real-time
accessibility to the data as you could be accessing an old version of the data since it was not yet
updated. It is much less rigid than the transactional structure of SQL but it can get much messier! It
definitely doesn’t respect the ACID properties of SQL. Best known NoSQL systems include MongoDB,
Couchbase and Redis.

NewSQL could be referred to as the modern relational databases languages. These are based on the
relational database model and the SQL query language but offers better consistency. Some of them
offer solid ACID guarantees.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are the best examples of the use of
NoSQL and NewSQL. These require the ability to process astonishing amounts of data very quickly but
(mostly) don’t need the ACID properties.

Pros of NoSQL/NewSQL

 Very fast (NoSQL)

 Not requiring fixed table schemas (NoSQL)

 Scales horizontally (NoSQL)

 Stronger consistency (NewSQL)

 Full transactional support possible (NewSQL)

Cons of NoSQL/NewSQL

 Not transactional/ACID (NoSQL)

 Can get messy (NoSQL)

 Not offering as many development tools as SQL (NewSQL)

This was just a brief introduction to the newest languages. If you would like to learn more about NoSQL
and NewSQL, click here or here.

Excel: Databases or spreadsheets?

Let’s get back to the relational databases. Based on the assumption relational databases take the form
of tables made of columns and rows, is Excel a database? If you want a real entertaining discussion, drop
this question to a bunch of programmers. I suggest you run in the other direction, as it may get real
ugly!

Most of us will agree that even if Excel and its spreadsheets can be extremely useful, they’re not
databases. If we look at it objectively, Excel creates spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are in fact tables made
of columns and rows. It’s the table format that tends to confuse people into thinking that spreadsheets
are relational databases. We already agreed on the fact that databases are used for data management.
Spreadsheets don’t go as far and are mostly used for data storage and analysis.

Pros of using Excel

 Ease of use

 Short learning curve

 No programming skills needed

 Perfect for numerical data

 Perfect to manage small pools of data

 Great for data analysis

 Inexpensive solution

Cons of using Excel

 Static

 Only one user at a time can update data

 Substantial spreadsheets will eventually become tougher to manage and lead to errors in the
data

 One action could break something somewhere without the users realizing it

 Data stored on your computer (hard drive) versus databases (servers)