Database in an Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Database in an Organisation - Essay Example This study covers various aspects related to database systems in the BMI healthcare hospital located in the United Kingdom. An analysis of database applications shows that a database system is an integral part of any health care organization. The key functions of a database system are also determined which include recording the relevant data, processing of data, organizing the collected data, and assisting departments of an organization in the different business processes. The result of the study shows that an efficient database system plays a key role in the progress and development of BMI healthcare hospital. 1. Introduction Data or up to date information is of critical importance for any company or organization. It not only plays a key role in the success of an organization but also makes the organizations compete with other firms in a competitive environment. However, companies need to manage the data in an appropriate way in order to make a good use of it. Therefore, information technology professionals have developed database systems, which not only help the organizations manage the data properly but also make the organizational activities efficient and well organized. It is due to the utmost importance of database systems that almost every company or organization of the current business environment has implemented efficient database systems in order to manage data in an organized way. In this paper, we will discuss what database systems are and what role do they play in the success of an organization. 2. What is Database? Before going into the discussion related to databases and their uses in organizations, let us get a better understanding of what database actually is. Date, Kannan, and Swamynathan (2006, p. 6) state, â€Å"A database is basically a computerized record-keeping system†. Database is a record of important data or information, which an organization requires to run different business processes and activities. â€Å"A database can be limited to a single desktop computer or can be stored in large server machines, like the IBM Mainframe† (Satalkar, 2009). Database systems are not like spreadsheets. Some of the functions, which make database systems different from spreadsheets, include retrieval of records that match certain criteria, updating of records in bulk, cross-referencing records in different tables, and performing complex aggregate calculations (Chapple). Database systems help the employees retrieve some specific data from the records. Database systems also help the doctors prepare reports based on recorded data and assist them in performing complex calculations needed to analyze different case histories. 2.1 Types of Databases â€Å"Two of the most popular database systems used by web developers today are MySQL and Microsoft's MS SQL server† (Hobach, 2008). There are various types of databases depending on the structure of data. Some most common types of databases include flat model database , network model database, hierarchical model database, and relational model database. The most commonly used type of database is relational model database. â€Å"In a relational database, information is stored in tables (often called relations) which help organize and structure data† (Martin, 2010). Companies use relational model database not only to store data but also to retrieve it when needed. Data is stored in the form of tables and each record stored in the table can have many fields. Using relational model