The Different Types of Databases - An Overview With Examples

What are the Various Types of Databases? Types Examples and Advantages

The term database is a common term in the world of IT, but exactly what is a database? A database can be regarded as an organized collection of data stored & accessed electronically from a computer system. This brings us to another question. What are the various types of databases? We will learn more about the different types of databases in this article.

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Types of Databases: Understanding the Different Database Types

1. Centralized Database

The first database that we are going to discuss is known as a Centralized database. The type of database used to store data in a Centralized database system is called a Centralized database. It is useful when it comes to accessing stored data from different locations through several applications. These applications contain the authentication process which enables the user to access the data safely and securely. One example could be the Central Library which holds a central database of each library in a college.

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If you want to know the merits of such databases then it must be categorically mentioned here, that such a database reduces the risk of data management, offers better data quality, is regarded as very significant for establishing data standards, is less costly and renowned for data consistency.

Having discussed the merits, now it's the turn to state the disadvantages of such databases. Since the centralized database is large therefore, the response for fetching data is also more, in case of server failure, entire data will be lost and it is difficult to update such an extensive database. 

2. Distributed Database

Out here, data is distributed among different database systems of an organization. Communication links help to connect such database systems. It assists the end - users to access the data fairly easily. HBase, Ignite, or Apache Cassandra are all examples of such database systems.

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Distributed databases can be segregated into two segments. First is, Homogeneous DDB i.e the kind of database that executes on the same operating system uses the same application process and carries the same hardware devices and the second one is, Heterogeneous DDB meant to execute on different operating systems under different application procedures and carries different hardware devices.

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There are certain advantages associated with distributed databases. For instance, you can include new computers and expand the system by connecting them to the distributed system. Another advantage worth mentioning is, one server failure is not enough to affect the entire data set.

3. Relational Database

This database is dependent on a relational data model meant to store data in rows (tuples) and columns( attributes ) and together form a table ( relation ). A relational database uses SQL to store and maintain the data. Each table in the database carries a key that makes the data unique from others. Eg. Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, etc. Accuracy and security are two major attributes of such databases.

4. NoSQL Database

Non-SQL / Not only SQL is basically a type of database that is used while storing a wide range of data sets. It not only stores data in tabular form but also in different other ways. The need for such a database was felt when demand for building modern applications increased. It offered plenty of database technologies according to the demand.

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It can be divided into four types and they are key-value storage, Documented-oriented Database, Graph databases and wide-column stores.

Non - SQL / Not only SQL is considered important, as it enables good productivity in application development, offers a good option for managing large data sets, provides high scalability and the best part is users can conveniently access data from the database through key-value.

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5. Cloud Database

This is one such type of database where data is stored in a virtual environment and is executed over the cloud computing platform. For accessing data, users can use various cloud computing platforms like SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, etc. Some well-known cloud platforms are Microsoft Azure, PhonixNAP, Amazon Web Services, ScienceSoft, and Google Cloud SQL.

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6. Object-Oriented Databases

The object-oriented database uses the object-based data model approach to store data in the database system. The data is stored as objects similar to the objects used in an object-oriented programming language.  Such databases are considered handy in saving as well as in retrieving data quickly. Such databases also make it easier to model advanced real-world problems. 

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7. Hierarchical Databases

Such a database stores data in the form of parent-child relationship nodes. Data are organized in a tree-like structure. Data is stored in the form of records connected by links. Each child record in the tree contains one parent, but each parent record may consist of multiple child records. Adding and deleting new information is easier in such a database and data at the top of the hierarchy can be accessed with ease.

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8. Network Databases

Such a database follows a network data model. Such a database allows each record to have multiple children and parent nodes to form a generalized graph structure. Data are represented in the form of nodes and are connected via links between them. Its main advantages are, capable of handling multiple types of relationship and are easy to design.

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9. Personal Database

A personal Database can be described as a database used for collecting and storing data on the user's system. Such databases are mainly designed for a single user. Such a database takes less space to store and is pretty easy to handle.

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10. Operational Database

Such databases are handy for creating and updating databases in real-time, meant for executing as well as handling the daily data-related operations in business. For instance, it can be used by organizations for managing the daily transactions. The main advantages of such a database are that such database is considered very secure, fault-tolerant and highly scalable.

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11. Enterprise Database

For large-scale Enterprises, these database is very beneficial, as they are required to deal with and manage large volumes of data. Such a database, adds to the efficiency of organizations. Such a database also allows the execution of parallel queries on the system.

Conclusion

This article covered the key databases used widely. We have ensured that our readers get to know more about all these databases since they are used for various purposes. In case you are interested in such an article or need any article on any other technical concept then kindly state the same in the comment section. Your feedback goes a long way in motivating us.

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