Database Design for Mere Mortals™: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design, Second Edition

Types of Databases

What is a database? As you probably know, a database is an organized collection of data used for the purpose of modeling some type of organization or organizational process. It really doesn't matter whether you're using paper or a computer software program to collect and store the data. As long as you're gathering data in some organized manner for a specific purpose, you've got a database. Throughout the remainder of this discussion, we'll assume that you're using a computer software program to collect and maintain your data.

There are two types of databases found in database management, operational databases and analytical databases.

Operational databases are the backbone of many companies, organizations, and institutions ...