Tania Hillard
Database Management / DBM 502
Pamela Hurd
June 19, 2006 Introduction This paper will compare and contrast four different types of database software. The database software that will discuss is the Microsoft Access, SQL, DB2, and Oracle. A database is the most vital system for a company as it stores mission critical information. The continual failure of a company's database system can only lead to the demise of the organization - companies cannot do business without a working system. A database management system , or DBMS, gives the user access to their data and helps them transform the raw data into information. These systems allow users to create, update, and extract information from their databases. Compared to a manual filing system, the biggest advantages of a computerized database system are speed, accuracy, and accessibility. A database is a structured collection of data. Data refers to the characteristics of people, things, and events.
Types of Database Software
Microsoft Access Microsoft Access is a database software program that runs on Windows applications. Database is used to manage data that can be organized into lists of related information such as customers, products, vendors, employees, projects or sales. Many small companies record customer, inventory, and sales information in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel. Some of the features of an Access database is that it provides a natural tabular layout as well as customized data entry screens, able to store any number of records up to two gigabytes, allows links between lists of information to reduce data redundancy, and able to create and save multiple report presentation of data. Access can be used to connect to Microsoft Visual Basic applications.
SQL The Structured Query Language is used in manipulating data stored in Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). SQL provides commands through which data can be