There are many types of databases used across several industries.

 

Analytic Databases

These are also known as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing) and are primarily static, read-only databases which store archived, historical data used for analysis.

Inventory catalogue analytical database

On the web an inventory catalogue analytical database usually holds descriptive information about all available products in the inventory.

Operational Databases

Operational databases or OLTP (On Line Transaction Processing) are used to manage more dynamic data. These types of databases do more than view archived data, they also allow modification. They are normally used to track real-time information such as stock control, which is constantly changing.

Database Models

A data model is a description of both a container for data and a methodology for storing and retrieving data from that container, often in the form of mathematical algorithms and concepts.

Hierarchical Databases

As its name implies, the Hierarchical Database Model defines hierarchically-arranged data as a way of visualising an upside down tree of data.

This child/parent rule assures that data is systematically available as you start at the root and work your way down through the tree until you reach your target.

The hierarchical database model does have some flaws as you cannot add a record to a child table until it has already been incorporated into the parent table.

Network Databases

The network model is very similar to the hierarchical model. In many ways, the Network Database model was designed to solve some of the more serious problems with the Hierarchical Database Model. How it does this is the Network model solves the problem of data redundancy by representing relationships in terms of sets rather than hierarchy.

Instead of using a single-parent tree hierarchy, the network model uses set theory to provide a tree-like hierarchy with the exception that child tables were allowed to have more than one parent. This allowed the network model to support many-to-many relationships.

By Kelly Foxhall