Today when people mention databases, they often are referring to one of two types. The two types of databases common today are analytical databases and operational databases. Other databases may include end-user, external, and hypermedia. Before I go into detail about what each databases consists of, I will give a short description of what a database is.
A database is a central location that is used to store various types of data. This data is stored in the form of a table which is what one views when they desire to retrieve the information located in the database. The exact definition given by www.dictionary.com is "A comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer." So that gives you a basic idea of what a database is.
Now I will move onto describing the two types of databases I previously mentioned. An analytical database is used to report information and also used for documentation. The information that is in an analytical database is not necessarily recent, so one should expect the data to be approximately 24 hours old. One downfall of an analytical database is that it requires more resources to run properly, this could put a strain on the servers and be a valid cause for poor performance. Popular uses for an analytical database include financial information, sales information, and various other applications used for reporting.
Operational directories are extremely powerful and all the data that is discovered in this kind of database is recent or real time. Operational databases benefit simply because they don't decrease efficiency which allows for smooth running of a website or business, if the servers are overloaded with information then the experience by clients and employees would not be pleasant. An excellent example of an operational repository is that which is utilized in a store. An operational repository would be responsible for retrieving customer orders, inventory, and customer information.
While a repository is very helpful and needed for a large corporation, databases should also be utilized by private individuals as well. If one has a big amount of information spread out, keeping it organized correctly will not only benefit you personally, but also anyone you do business or interact with. There are other directories out there that are used for various tasks, but several of them have some type of relationship with either an operational or analytical database.
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