INTRODUCTION
Throughout the history of mankind, there has always been a need to record information. For thousands of years ‘physical’ records were used, whether it be an Ancient Egyptian chiselling hieroglyphics onto stone tablets in 4500BC, or a bank teller in the 1940’s writing bank account deals in a paper customer account book. It wasn’t until 1956 that the first computer, the LEO 1 (Lyons Electronic Office 1) was used for a commercial business application. It was a very simple system, it was used by Ford Motors for payroll calculations as well as being used by the Met Office (Wikipedia, 2015) Over the last 50 years since then computers have revolutionised businesses allowing for billions of records to be stored and accessed in a
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THE ADVANTAGES OF USING DATABASES WITHIN BUSINESSES
There are significant advantages to using databases in a business, especially in large companies. The main benefit of databases is that they save time. With the use of a simple queries, millions of records can be searches in a matter of seconds to give the information needed. Think about how long it would take to go through a million paper records held in files.
Another great benefit is that the databases can be accessed by multiple users in multiple locations at the same time. For instance, Specsavers may have 1700 branches across the UK, which need to order frames from a central warehouse. In order to know if the frame a customer requires is in stock, every branch needs to access the central database containing the stock values.
Furthermore the users of databases can be assigned restrictions as to what they can view and update, which also relates to how databases can actually be a lot more secure than paper records with the use of passwords and encryption.
THE RANGE OF THREATS TO A DATABASE
Although databases are an excellent tool for companies to utilise, they also have their drawbacks. The most prevalent is unauthorised access, which can result in data be stolen or damaged, costing a company huge sums of money. SONY has been victim to multiple security breaches recently, in the most notable of which “hackers obtained some 100 terabytes of data
Increased reliability and availability: A distributed database system has multiple nodes (computers) and if one fails then others are available to do the job. So we can say that redundancy and replication of the DB increase security and accessibility.
Data management is vital to any business as this is a key tool to an organisations business improvement, as you can refer back to data, and compare them against benchmarks. Analysing data can provide evidence for possible future structure such as identify trends, as well as indicate where improvements can be made. However there are strict procedures to be followed when collecting and storing data.
The data warehouse contains all the information that both the chain managers as well personnel can access. This information helps them see which products are selling, how much, where more important points of sales are, which are needed in inventory and which items needs to be checked for quality etc. Similarly these databases also contain solid information about consumers such as what is the ratio of repeat customers, what age group needs to be targeted for advertising, which new group is emerging and how to stay in touch with consumers about new products and sales.
data and risks will help a company to design strong policies, procedures and standards that will help to keep data secure.
* Describe the role of databases and database management systems in managing organizational data and information.
Why are databases important to business? How do databases generate sales and-or profits? What databases do you interact with, and how do they benefit you?
The choice on how to keep records can depend on the organisation size and resources and should be in line with the business needs. Some organisations might choose a mix of manual and electronic methods, keeping some hardcopy of important documents like photocopies of ID/Passports.
Databases are the heart of the company. This is where all crucial company information is stored and can be accessed. Some databases are stored on site others in remote locations or using clouds. The information within a database can be manipulated in any way that the company needs it to be. Databases help to quickly search and retrieve information, it saves from data redundancy.
Dramatically reduce cost, effort and accuracy associated with entering, gathering and disseminating information by storing everything electronically in a central database.
As technology grows and information has become a critical asset companies currently are devoted their resource and money to protect their data as important as their finance and human resource assets.
Take inventory for example, Linton (n.d.) stated that “by using a database, you can replace manual methods of inventory control and reduce the time, cost and effort of inventory management” (para. 1). So basically, databases streamline the processes. When time is saved, productivity is increased. You can also look at this project to see how businesses utilize databases for their employee information. The forms that were created for this project show just how simplified inputting information has become. Almost everything is now in one database, and it can be shared across tables. It is the same concept for customer information.
There are many arguments for and against any type of medium that can be implemented to store and manage data and records. Each medium has its positive characteristics and its drawbacks. The best record keepers use more than one method to store data, mainly as a backup in case of a catastrophe. This is where the old adage, "it's better to be safe than sorry" takes on a greater significance.
Databases can be used by businesses for managing accounts, inventory, personnel information, customer information, and any other record keeping needs. Phone companies have extensive databases for keeping track of customer’s calls for monthly statements, likewise with mobile phone companies. Banks transactions are all recorded in databases. The DMV has records of all drivers and motor vehicles. IRS databases contain income related information of everyone in the country. Ultimately, databases are everywhere. One can only wonder how many records relating to you are stored across what is now a forest of databases.
According to Rouse (2006), “Computer databases typically contain aggregations of data records or files, such as sales transactions, product catalogs and inventories, and customer profiles” (Rouse, 2006). Databases can hold a sufficient of information that are deemed
With advances in technology constantly happening, it can be hard to keep up with all of the latest trends. If organizations cannot keep up with the latest trends, it can lead to flaws in their security. Any flaws in security can have a detrimental effect on an organization’s database. Almost every organization has some sort of database, whether it is for maintaining customers, inventory, or vital information.