Databases

Here at Tentacle, we LOVE databases! We think of databases all the time. So what exactly is a database?

A database stores information; i.e. data. In slightly more complex terms, a database will store and organise collections of data which can then be accessed electronically from an application system.

In our Glasgow based offices, our elite team of database specialists spend all day designing and developing complex database management system (DBMS) for our clients. These DBMS are essentially nothing more than a computerised information system that will form the backbone of our client’s new systems.

Best to think of it as the “brains” of any application system.

The application system developed on our ThunderBolt system then allows our clients to perform several kinds of data operations within the database structure itself. Safely and securely.

An platform like ThunderBolt can be used to create, edit, and maintain your database files and records, enabling easier file and record creation, data entry, data editing, updating, and reporting. The ThunderBolt platform, like an ERP system, also handles data storage, backup and reporting, multi-access control, and security.

With all this mention of data, it’s worth keeping in mind that strong database security is especially important. Data theft is more common than you may think therefore companies like Tentacle will have a special security team. This team work hard to ensure that your database is kept secure and no malicious attempts are made to try and gain backdoor access.

So how exactly do we “talk” to the database? This is done using a structured query language (SQL) for communicating with the database. Typical commands within SQL are:

SELECT - show the records based on the criteria given

UPDATE - update certain records based on the criteria given

DELETE - remove certain records based on the criteria given

INSERT - add a new record into the database

WHERE - this is used to specify the criteria

ORDER - how to sort the output

An example of SQL is:

Select * from CUSTOMERS where name like ‘Dave’ order by age asc

The above will show all customers whose name is Dave and sort the list by their ages ascending.

There are many different types of databases. The best database for a specific organisation depends on how the organization intends to use the data:

Relational databases

Object-oriented databases

Distributed databases

Data warehouses

NoSQL databases

Graph databases

OLTP databases.