In our previous journey into the world of Database software, we defined what they are and the requirements your institution would have of them. Now, let’s discuss the different types of Database software and how they would fit for different institutions/enterprises. Let’s start by first classifying the various database management software.

Classification of Types of Database Software:

Operational Database
External Database
End User Database
Distributed Database
Data Warehouse Database
Analytical Database
Hypermedia Database

Operational Database software

Otherwise called as OLTP ( On-Line Transaction Processing ) Database software, are used to manage dynamic data in real time. This database software allows you to add, delete and modify the data in your database. Businesses find many uses of such databases, for example, customer relationship management transactions and financial operations. An operational database allows you to gather, enter and retrieve large amounts of data- be it specific or general, for example, legal notices, financial data, personal employee information, call logs etc. They can also be part of the purchasing process for an e-commerce business.

External Database software

An External Database software manages information gathered for use by different individuals or organizations, either via subscription or freely. External databases are accessed online by users to read privately owned data. The Internet Movie Database is one of the examples of an external database.

End-user Database software

An end user database software is simply a software which helps store data created by an end user. Examples of such software could include, word processors, spreadsheet managers etc. Any database software which allows the end user to create and manage data comes under this category.

Distributed Database software

A Distributed Database software is a software distributed at various geographical locations. This type of database system works under the control of one central database management system and the storage devices of the distributed database are connected to different CPUs. A distributed database can reside on LAN, WAN, internet, network servers or extranets. The advantage of distributing the database is the significant improvement in the performance of data rates and the advantage of not losing all your data even if one of the locations fails.

Data Warehouse Database software

Data Warehouse is a database software containing a collection of information extracted from various other databases and stored in one place. Data Warehouse can be used by end users or management personnel, primarily for reporting purposes and drawing insights. There are many benefits of using a Data Warehouse, such as retrieval of information from a Data Warehouse doesn’t affect the performance of the operational system. Automatic identification and resolving of inconsistent data, etc are some of the database software’s key advantages.

Analytical Database software

An analytical database software is used to store data from other databases for data analysis. The data in the analytical database software is edited, filtered and used by analysts of an organization. Businesses worldwide use analytical database software for the analysis of employees’ and organization’s performance.

Hypermedia Database software

The purpose of hypermedia database software is to store multimedia web pages. In a hypermedia database, data is stored online and it can be accessed by multiple users at the same time. In addition to the above database types, there can be other types of databases as well. For example, businesses in specific industries will have customized database solutions, targeted at the particular requirements and needs of the business, like Fedena ERP for Schools.

Understanding types of Database software and their applications