Regardless of the size of your company, deciding how often you should update your database is a fairly large consideration for you and your fellow decision-makers, including CEOs and department managers. Entrepreneur notes that matters involving your business’s computing system — whether focusing on infrastructure, networking, printing issues or database updates — often involves your, and your team’s, development of and commitment to a viable strategy. This community-based approach helps take some of the pressure directly from your shoulders, making it easier for you to make the right call on database update frequency.
What Type of Database, or Databases, Do You Manage?
Since not all databases are quite the same, it will help if you approach each type accordingly when considering deploying an update. On the most basic level, you need to monitor the health and efficiency of databases regarding your company’s vital operational and distributed data, confidential customer information and personal human resources entries.
Additionally, when you receive a calendar notification regarding databases, you need to consider types of database formats and languages to keep in mind the various ways that a database parses and organizes data to ensure that it is still effective for your needs. Refresh your memory by taking a look at a few different database systems that might work better to fit your company’s changing needs.
Text-Based Databases
The most simple and spreadsheet-like of databases since it follows a pattern of rows and columns, a text database is commonly used to store, organize, protect and retrieve essential data. This type of database is ideal for smaller businesses since non-IT persons understand the layout and philosophy behind it. However, as your organization grows, it might prove limiting and have you yearning for an upgrade. Desktop databases are similar to text databases, except they frequently only apply to a single user.
Relational Databases
You likely use one of the several types of available relational databases if you work for a medium to large-sized company. The specific databases within this category include SQL Server, Oracle Database, Sybase, Informix and MySQL, according to Study.com. Relational Database Management Systems (RDMS) are far more effective than text databases or desktop databases, offering many additional features and better performance. A few essential advantages that these high-powered databases feature include allowing access to thousands of users and the chance to create several databases under a single server. Still following a table and row format, relational databases let users go beyond standard spreadsheet functionality by allowing multiple users to create multiple databases for various needs.
Non-Linear, Object-Oriented and NoSQL Databases
Leaving the row and table format behind, these databases offer users an opportunity to access data off-the-grid. Basically, these databases store similar bits of information into chunks of data before placing them together on virtual bookshelves, ready to access.
Exploring the Idea of Updating Your Basic Database
If your company started a decade, or even five years ago, and you are still using a text-based database, you probably need to up your tech game. You probably already know that, but it is a matter of helping your organization’s CEOs and other decision makers hop on board with verve. This type of database change more closely resembles an upgrade, but in the process, you will find that you can update the way that management and staff interact with data, creating a global shift in your approach to data management and access.
Whether you want to make a case for procuring some type of SQL database or a NoSQL system, it is important to research all the ways such an update can benefit your organization, from the least engaged customer to the top executive and everyone in between. Consider some of the most important benefits to updating to a new type of operational database for your company:
- A new and improved system will promote staff engagement in the process of entering and maintaining crucial data, giving them a stake in the matter while freeing up IT staff to work on systems issues.
- Modern systems feature more protection for your critical company data to help prevent compromised data.
How Often Should You Have Your Current Database Updated?
Sometimes you just need to monitor the regular health of your database. When you put some basic procedures in place to monitor your database for potential update needs, you can streamline the process for you and your team.
Keep everything running smoothly — while also staying on top of your database update needs — by adopting a few of the following procedures:
- Review Functionality. If you have noted areas that can use some finessing and refining, such as application processing or member registration for events, you might need to consider checking to find the next update for your current database. Relational database companies often rely on customer feedback to help improve functionality, and your organization might benefit — as well as contribute to — such a cooperative working structure. In your database audit, talk to your IT team as well as highly attuned and tech savvy staff and CEOs to help gauge the effectiveness of the current version of your database.
- Train Staff to Understand the Finer Points of the Database. Similar to the first step, this part of the process relies on cooperation and feeds into the first step. Help your staff and executives understand the value of their attention to the functionality of the database. Ask them to note problems that they encounter and changes they would like to see, regularly submitting help desk tickets and staying in communication with the IT team.
- Create and Adhere to Strict Data Standards. With a stable procedure of entering and processing data from your end, it is easier to detect problems within the database that you need to address with an update.
With these tools, as well as relying on the services of a company that regularly performs database assessments like I.S. Partners, LLC, you can quickly and easily figure out how often you should update your database. Contact us to discuss our service quotes for your database management and other IT needs.
