Small Business Database Software Key Terms

When you're ready for a business database, you need to learn the language

By Suzanne J. Cone

Whether they deal with products, clients, parts, dates, supplies or a hundred other items, one constant among all businesses is that they use, and therefore must store, data. At first, many small businesses may use a spreadsheet program to track important items, but as the operation grows, most small business owners find they need to move up to a database to manage everything. Before selecting database software, make sure you understand what you're getting into.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

The standard language used for accessing and managing the information in databases, Structured Query Language is the language referred to by the acronym SQL. It allows a user to retrieve data, update it, delete it and perform many other functions.
Try: W3Schools offers a free SQL tutorial that teaches database querying concepts and specifics.

Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a relational database designed for businesses that have more data to track than a spreadsheet can hold but that aren't quite ready for an enterprise-level database management system like SQL Server or Oracle. This makes it a popular application among small businesses.
Try: The Microsoft Access website gives an overview of the product, its benefits for small business and a demonstration of the product in action. It also offers a free 60-day trial of Access.

Design

Even the simplest products database needs an effective design that tells each table of data how to relate to all the others. Some database management systems include a design tool that can help you through the steps of laying out your database, or you can hire an expert.
Try: The IBM developerWorks website has a detailed article about the basics of database design.

Data source

A data source can be a database, or it can be the source of data contained in a database. For example, a Microsoft Access database may draw some of its data from a spreadsheet listing customer or product data.
Try: Go to the Adobe Photoshop Tutorials website and scroll down to find a detailed explanation of the difference between a data source, a database and a content source.

Backend

The database that provides the data for a web form or other online customer interface program is the backend of the program.
Try: Bean Software offers instructions for using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet instead of a full-fledged database as a backend.

Reporting

There's not much point in having a database if you don't know what's in it. That's where reporting software comes in: It can produce spreadsheets, graphs, charts or other formats to give you just the information you want about your business operations.
Try: See which reporting software best fits your needs by downloading one or several programs from FilesLand Software.