Databases play an important role in most areas where computers are used, allowing to store large volumes of data about the company, which are perceived by users, in the same way the information obtained from the data Stored must be in a form that serves to manage, plan, control and make decisions within an organization.
Previously, the file processing system was used, in which all the information of the company was stored in permanent files managed by a conventional operating system. Various application programs had to be written to extract records and add records to the appropriate files.
The internet revolution in the late 1990s significantly increased direct user access to databases.
There are currently different concepts about the database, according to Date (2001) the database is "a set of persistent data that is used by the application systems of a given company." (p. 1).
Here the term "company" is simply a convenient generic term to identify any independent commercial, technical, scientific or other organization. A company could be a single individual (with a small personal database), an entire corporation or a similar large consortium (with a large shared database) or anything between these two options, in which every company you must necessarily maintain a large amount of data about your operations.
For this reason, database systems must provide the reliability of stored information, despite system outages or unauthorized access attempts. If the data is going to be shared between different users, the system must avoid possible anomalous results that cause damage to the company.
Since information is so important in most organizations, computer scientists have developed a comprehensive set of concepts and techniques for data management.
As expressed (Silberschatz, Korth & Sudarshan (2002), that some of the applications of the databases are:
Banking. For customer, account and loan information and bank transactions. Airlines. For reservations and planning information. Airlines were among the first to use databases in a geographically distributed manner (terminals located throughout the world accessed the centralized database system through telephone lines and other data networks).
Universities. For information of the students, enrollment of the subjects and courses.
Credit card transactions. For credit card purchases and monthly statement generation.
Telecommunications. To keep a record of calls made, monthly invoice generation, keeping the balance of prepaid phone cards and to store information on communication networks.
Finance. To store information about large companies, sales and purchases of formal financial documents, such as stocks and bonds.
Sales For information on customers, products and purchases.
Production. For the management of the production chain and for the monitoring of the production of elements in the factories, inventories of elements in warehouses and ordering of elements.
Human Resources. For information on employees, wages, taxes, and benefits, and for payroll generation.
As the authors Silberschatz, Korth & Sudarshan (2002) express that a database management system (DBMS) consists of a collection of interrelated data and a set of programs to access said data. The data collection, usually called a database, contains information relevant to the company. The main objective of a DBMS is to provide a way to store and retrieve information from a database in a way that is both practical and efficient. (p.1).
Among the advantages that we can find in the use of databases, according to Baca Urbina., Solares Soto, PF & Acosta Gonzaga, E. (2014).
- Capacity, that is, the files will not be duplicated. Speed, when using ordered and well-designed structures. Ease of work, re-usability of the data that is available at all times. Update. Less redundancy. Elimination of inconsistencies. Data sharing.Security and error checking.
Due to the increase in information that must be organized in companies, new processes and technologies appear that seek to meet the needs of information management. The concept of Data Mining was born, which the SAS institute defines as the process of selecting (Selecting), Exploring (Exploring), Modifying (Modifying), Modernizing (Modeling) and Assessing (Assessment) large amounts of data in order to discover patterns unknowns that can be used as a shared advantage over competitors. (Pérez, C., & Santin D., 2006, p.3).
In this way, the Data Mining process is applied in a wide variety of industries, providing different methodologies depending on the type of problem that is resolved within the company.
Finally, having a Data Base is a very valuable information instrument and effectively used in generating sales and profits. Databases change as data is deleted and inserted. The collection of information stored in the Database at a particular time is called an instance (instance) of the Database. The complete design is called a database schema and these are rarely modified (not recommended).
In fact, companies today generally maintain two separate databases, one containing operational data and the other often referred to as a Data Warehouse that contains data to support decision-making.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Baca Urbina., Solares Soto, PF & Acosta Gonzaga, E. (2014). Computer Administration I: Analysis and evaluations of information technologies. (1st edition). Mexico: Grupo Patriarca Cultural, SA de CV
Date, CJ (2001).Introduction to Database Systems (7th Edition). Mexico: Pearson education.
Silberschatz A., Korth, HF, Sudarshan, S. (2002). Database fundamentals (4th edition). Madrid: McGraw-Hill / Interamericana De España, SAU
Pérez, C. & Santin D. (2006). Data Mining. Solutions with Enterprise Miner. (1st edition).
Mexico: ALFAOMEGA GRUPO EDITOR, SA de CV Page: 3.
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