A database is a method of storing groups of related data together for fast retrieval with sorting and data manipulation facilities.
Databases are also normally combined with a programming language to use the data, displaying it within a program or on a web page.
How does a Database work?
A database is managed by a database server (for example, we support the MySQL and PostgreSQL database servers), which can contain one or more databases. Within each database are one more tables that contain the data.
Finally, each table contains one or more columns, which are definitions for the name of and the type of data that can be stored in each cell on zero or more rows.
For example:
| Name (String) | Age (Integer) | Over 18 (Boolean) | Employed (Yes/No/Part-time) |
could be the columns in our table, people, which lists a few people, how old they are, whether they are employed and if they are retired. We have set the names of the columns, so we can call it up in the database or in the program, and set the type of data that can be stored on each column in each row.
While Name can be anything, Age can only be a integer (whole number), so the value 'Three' is invalid - that's a string. Next, we have a boolean, which is either true or false and finally an enumeration type, which can only be one of the pre-set values in the list, i.e. Yes, No or Part-time.
Now we know this, we can populate the table with information:
| Name (String) | Age (Integer) | Over 18 (Boolean) | Employed (Yes/No/Part-time) |
| John Doe | 17 | false | No |
| Jane Smith | 25 | true | Part-time |
Once there is data in the table, you can ask it questions such as 'Show me the names of all the people over 18 in reverse alphabetical order', or 'Count the number of people that are over 18 and Employed Part-time'.
If you had long lists of data, you can see how useful and powerful a tool like this can be!
Do I have to know a lot to use databases?
If you want to create your own databases and programs that use them, then the more you know the better. However, there are number of popular programs available which use databases as their back-end, but don't require any knowledge on how to use them. The following is a selection of popular programs:
- phpBB (Forums - provides threaded discussion between people)
- Mambo (Content Management System)
- osCommerce (eCommece, Shopping Cart application)
- WordPress (Blogging utility)
Many of the applications available in our Application vault make use of databases as well, and are easy to install and run. For more information about the Application Vault, please see our article:
Do I need a database?
If you are looking to build a website, you may not need a database. It depends on what the goals of the website are and what kind of data you are working with.
If you would like to discuss this any further, please Submit a Ticket to our Support Team who can offer some advice.
Finally, for more information about MySQL and PostgreSQL, please see the following Knowledgebase articles:
