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How to choose the right database for your business |
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by Frank J. Kobes |
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SUMMARY |
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You have embraced the computer technology demagogue and need guidance in implementing
the next major improvement. The business owner or corporate department manager can
advance in the right direction by following some simple design principles and by
clearly defining the automation objective. A database is where you keep all your
goals, accomplishments and tax records. Your database is also computer software
that can be programmed to perfect your business and operate exactly to your specifications.
Accomplishing your automation objective can be a rewarding journey. |
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WHO SHOULD READ THIS |
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The constant improvements to computer technology prompt us to consider how to harness
these advances into our business. The constant change also contributes to an already
complicated jungle of options. Large corporations have information technology (IT)
project managers to guide them through the jungle. You may be a department manager
in a large organization wondering how to approach the IT project manager. If you
run a small business, you are now the target of all the huge software vendors who
have run out of new prospects among the Fortune 500. You may want a clear way to
evaluate all the choices without getting an advanced degree in system information
and technology. |
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WHAT IS A DATABASE (definition for this article) |
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You have heard about “Blogs”. You have visited an “ecommerce” web site where you
buy stuff. You may have heard about “SQL” which means Structured Query Language.
You may have your Christmas (a popular Christian holiday) list in an Excel or Lotus
spreadsheet. I am going to refer to all of the aforementioned as databases. A simple
definition of a database is computer software that lets you read-data-from or write-data-to
a permanent record, and that can be programmed to function according to your wildest
dreams. Some people like to differentiate a spreadsheet from a database because
spreadsheets have a data limit and databases have no practical limit. However, a
database is, as Georg W. Bush would say in two words: “computer application software”.
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All computer application software systems have 2 parts: a “front end” and a “back
end”. The front end is comprised of the screens, windows and reports that you see
when you use the database. The back end is comprised of all the tables that hold
your data. Some people are just referring to the “back end” when they talk about
a database; but just like an alligator, a database needs both ends to function as
a system. |
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HOW TO AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS WITH A DATABASE |
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I. Spend most of your efforts in the Design Phase: |
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With current gas prices, you would not start driving without a clear destination.
Likewise, make sure you have a clear definition of what you expect from your system.
Write a detailed list of system outputs as compared to dwelling on how to put data
into your system. With the output clearly defined, most programmers can determine
the input requirements. This plan is necessary regardless of whether you are upgrading
an existing system; buying a prepackaged software solution; or developing a system
from scratch. In evaluating software packages, the winner should match all your
critical requirements. This plan should use lots of pictures where practical and
not use technical jargon. Your industry, as well as the computer industry, has its
own secret terms. If you use these terms, they should be explained.
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Consider designing the system in small pieces. If the project seems huge,
then it probably needs to be divided into phases. Divide the design into logical
segments while making sure all the pieces will fit together at the end. Taking this
building block approach will make the implementation manageable with a greater chance
of success. |
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Computers need physical space to run and to grow. If your plan includes transactions,
then document how many by type and the expected volume growth over the life of the
system. Look at the file sizes of your existing system and estimate how much computer
space you will need assuming various growth rates. You also need to consider how
many people will be using the system at the same time, because some databases have
a limit for simultaneous users.
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II. Training is usually the biggest cost: |
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You will itemize all the costs to purchase or develop the system; however,
the largest part of the cost of any system improvement is training and support.
The actual software cost of any system is normally just 15% of the total system
costs. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice some system features for one that works like
the old one.
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III. Stay homogeneous: |
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Try to buy technology from the same vendor. This is not an emotional issue;
but a practical one. Some law firms use WordPerfect for typing letters; but, use
Microsoft products for spreadsheets; email etc… It is cumbersome to use Outlook
contacts with WordPerfect. The more you can buy software from the same supplier,
then the better your systems will work together.
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IV. Anticipate vendor survival: |
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The technology world continues to change and improve. When you purchase technology,
make sure the vendor will be around as long as you will. Beware of “Open Source”,
or “free”, software. “Open Source” often means no training material is available;
or there are multiple confusing versions. |
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V. Stay off the bleeding edge: |
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If you can’t wait to try the next new thing, then be ready for the arrows.
For any new system, it is good practice to operate in a parallel mode separate from
your production system. One suggested method is to adopt every other version of
new software releases. Newer is always better; but brand new is never better. I
am using Microsoft Vista to write this. I would consider Vista the final version
of Windows 98. Vista is finally as good as the Apple operating system. It took a
while, but Vista starts up quickly; has an intuitive interface; and has not crashed
in over a week. |
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VI. Implementation |
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With your excellent automation requirements document in hand, you can begin looking
for someone to provide you with a system. If a presenter starts using arcane acronyms,
then you can direct her to explain how their system can meet each of the requirements
in your requirements document. If the presenter refers to a “back end” database,
these are the most acceptable ones:
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Database Name |
Vendor |
Database Name |
Vendor |
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PervasiveSQL |
Pervasive Software |
Oracle |
Oracle |
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DB2 |
IBM |
Paradox |
Corel |
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MSSQL |
Microsoft |
MSACCESS |
Microsoft |
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XML |
Anyone |
XML |
Anyone |
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You may encounter some other commonly used file formats that are not vendor specific
and often are used to send data between separate companies. These are text files
with a file extension ending in txt or csv. Another is XML.
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You now have a simple yet affective approach to automating your business. You will
need technical help to produce an implementation plan and time estimate; but your
original requirements document will guide the process.
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