Chapter 6 Q3: Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database.

A "Business Intelligence" database is specifically designed to enhance management's ability to understand their business operations and make good business decisions. It is imperative to have an in depth knowledge about factors such as your customers, competitors, business partners, economic environment, and internal operations to make effective and good quality business decisions.


Relational databases minimise errors in several ways. Reduces information redundancy and increases information integrity (quality)

There's only a single storage location for any piece of information, so:
•data updates are simple with no need to change same info in 15 different files
•info is always up-to-date - there's no chance of old data remaining in some forgotten files
Numbers are numbers, and dates are dates:
•no typos like 1o, i0, l0, instead of 10
•avoid data-typing problems like the dreaded Excel "All-numbers-are-text" syndrome.
•avoid unwanted text-to-date conversions such as "MAR03" becoming 3rd March 1900
Error check data as they're entered
•data are validated on entry, to filter impossible values
•data can be cross-checked against existing information (no more pregnant males!)

Combine datasets easily and efficiently


With a database you can combine different data easily. No more error-prone cut-and-paste to force the data into a different format. Do away different with all the intermediate Excel spreadsheets that are often generated when manipulating data. (And which you often daren't delete just in case they contain important information.)
Data manipulation is performed using Queries. These use Structured Query Language, SQL, to combine, update and manage data, but often the user need not know any SQL to perform complex tasks. In Microsoft Access, for example, the visual Query Builder provides an intuitive interface that makes most queries simple


Reveal new features of the data: Increased flexibility, Increased information security and Increased scalability and performance.

A customised database can reveal new areas for investigation by presenting large quantities of data in an intuitive form.
Often patterns only become apparent by 'flicking through' the data. With a customised database this is possible in new ways: data from many different sources can be brought together and displayed quickly and easily.

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