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How to Choose Free Database Software

Thursday, February 21, 2013 23:50

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(Before It's News)

Database-Testing There’s no shortage of free database software on the Internet, and many of them are as powerful as commercially available applications, without the price tag. But if you’ve got a business and need a database solution, which one do you turn to? Here are some suggestions to help narrow your choices down.

Desktop and Server Databases

Database programs can be divided into two categories: desktop and server. A free desktop database program is usually for a single user and can be run on just one computer. A server database on the other hand, are more powerful and sophisticated and used for e-commerce and business.

They are also extremely durable and designed for heavy workloads. These servers are also made for use with multi-user software. It is important that you know exactly what type of program you need.

While server databases are more powerful, they are not as easy to run. Unless you are running a very large business, desktop databases will often be just fine. If you cannot make up your mind, ask yourself the following questions.

Who will be using the database? Will the formation be available over the web? Who will be in charge of data maintenance? What kind of hardware does it need? Do you need to buy additional hardware or upgrade to run it effectively?

How to Find Free Database Programs

It is very easy to find them on the web but deciding what to get is a little harder. Start looking at its features and see if it has what you need. Does it have the features you need? Make sure that it conforms to your strategies and your business goal. You can make this easier by determining beforehand what type of information you need and want to have access to.

These are some popular database softwares

MySQL
SQLite
PostgreSQL
MariaDB
SQL Server Express
FireBird
MaxDB
Berkeley DB
FleetDB

You can read more about these database softwares here.

More Facts about Database Software

All database programs are designed to allow you to make a custom database that will meet your requirements or that of your company’s. These programs store records, and information and arrange them in a way that makes it easy to retrieve the required data. A very simple example of a database is a phone book, although computer database programs are much more sophisticated than that.

While there are different types of databases, their format is the same. The information is arranged in tabular form and every table will refer to a particular item that has to be retrieved and stored. This may consist of payments, invoices and so on. These programs also have fields that function as placeholders for info which are placed in a different table. Every row in a table holds a different record and it has all the info as kept in the various fields.

For instance, a contact database might have info about your friends or clients, such as their names, addresses, email, phone number etc. By using free database programs you can filter it and sort it by name, phone number, email etc.

It goes without saying that these programs are very powerful and can do a lot of things. But if you need one, make sure that you check out free database software as they can do a lot for you without the price tag of commercial software. This will take time, so make sure that you give yourself time to study the matter, as it will make a huge difference for your business.