Business has already made tremendous headway in using computers. This is shown by the following examples:
* Large banks now reportedly supply hardware and software to their customers so they can easily transfer funds to their suppliers.
* Airlines and trucking firms keep track of the location of their equipment and the airline reservation system facilitate travel arrangements through computer networks.
* Firms now have detailed personnel information incuding performance appraisals and carreer development plans – in a computerized data bank.
If the organization maintains a lot of files it woul
d generate maximum staff efficiency and tremendous saving on cost in terms of paper, typewriter ribbons, and storage space, among other if it has its own database management system. A database is siply an organized collection of information, such as a list of names and adresses, sales and transactions, stock prices or even basketball scors. Even if you have already filled used quite a few databases. Think of a box or drawer filled with index cards in which you have written somebody’s name and address. The drawer or box is a database because it contains information. Rolodoxes, file cabinets, and library card catalog are other examples of common databses that you may have used.
A dabatase management system is a set of tools to help you manage a database. For example, when you add new cards to your box or drawer, or when you arrange the cards in alphabetical order to look up an address or therow away a card, you are managing a database. A database management system such as dbase3 or dbse 4 lets you perform these same managerial task: adding, changing, deleting, sorting, printing and looking yo unformation in a database.
Dbase, SQL, and other computerized databse management system do not store information on an index cards in a box or a drawer. Instead, each information is stored in database file on a computer disk. Each database file consists of records or rows of information in database files on a computer hard disk. Each record is divided into separate fields or columns of information.
Computers on the other hand cant tell a phone number from an address from a potato pancakes. Computer may be fast but they are difinitely not too bright. Therefore it is up for the operator or user to divide the information on his index cards or list of whatever databse is being stored into fields of information.









