response database concepts

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Adamsresponsedatabase.docx

(Adams) While a database may seem like the solution to all data storage problems, there are a few disadvantages you need to account for. The first one that comes to mind is the complexity. While anyone with the bare minimum technical experience can navigate a file system, you need someone trained to work on and navigate a database. The added level of complexity will require you to pay for training or likely hire someone with more technical experience, which would cost more. The other big disadvantage of a database is the single point of failure. It is certainly a best and wise practice to keep backups of your database, if you forget or lose those as well all of your data is gone. That one file being corrupted could lead to a disaster where losing a single file in a file system would only result in losing a single piece of data.

   The file system comes with its own disadvantages though. The biggest disadvantage of a file system vs a database is losing the ability to query. The book defines a database query as a: specific request for data manipulation issued by the user (Coronel & Morris, 2018). Being able to query all data across the database can return valuable information at nearly the snap of a finger that could have taken days to sort through your file system. Another disadvantage is the potential for your file system to get messy and unorganized leading to data inconsistency. In a database you have each entity represented one time in a neat manner that protects data integrity. In a file system, you could mistakenly create a new entity when you need to update one or you could mistakenly update an old one when you were meant to create a new one. Either of the above mistakes you make in a database would lead to bad data, that you wouldn’t otherwise create in a database. Finally, relying on the file system can become unwieldy. If you end up creating thousands of entries, it is difficult to go through them all. With a database, you are able to continue adding data and merely query what you need.

 

Reference:

Coronel, C., & Morris, S. (2018). Database Principles: Fundamentals of Design, Implementation, and Management. Cengage.