Most sites use a database to show information

Here's what you need to know to get the most out of your Internet experience ... without becoming a geek!

Database Basics
© Charlie Page

We all use databases every day. In fact, you probably used several databases today without really giving it much thought.

Your email program, your address book, your accounting program... they are all databases.

Remember the Rolodex? It was a database too!

A database is simply a collection of data. While a database can be quite complicated, most databases are easy to understand. Once you understand them, they're easy to use.

Let's look at database basics and the terms you need to use databases effectively every day.

HOW A DATABASE WORKS

A database is a collection of data, stored in a certain way to make access fast and easy. To do this, a database uses 'fields'. A field is simply a name for a *type* of data. In your address book, for example, one of the fields is called "Name". This is where the person's name is stored. No other data should be stored in this field, only the person's name.

Some databases have only a few fields while some have thousands of fields. Search engines are a great example of huge databases that store vast amounts of information.

If you have ever opened a spreadsheet, like Excel, you have seen a *table*, which is the basic building block of a database. Sophisticated databases are really little more than many tables joined together by common pieces of data.

Now that you know a little about how databases work, let's look at ....

WHAT A DATABASE DOES

This is the easy one. Databases save you time! Have you ever gone to Yahoo or Google and searched for a specific piece of information? You enter your word or words and ...boom... in a few seconds you have a zillion web sites that match your request. A database did that for you. Without a well designed database, it would take months to find that same data.

Think of it this way. A person walks into the public library looking for a particular book. To find the book they begin to walk up and down every aisle in the library, scanning every title. An hour later, success!! They've found the book.

You, database maven that you are, use the card system at the front desk. In moments you have found exactly where your book is located. You get your book. You save a ton of time. You've used a database! The card system is a database. In fact, almost every library has now put the cards on computer to make it even faster!

WHY IT MATTERS

The reason databases matter is that they allow businesses to do business and save us time. Could Amazon be in business without their giant database? No way, unless you're willing to scroll through 10,000 pages of information to find the new bestseller.

Let's say you need to find all ezines produced on the topic of Internet Marketing that have a circulation of 3000 or more. You log into your friendly Directory of Ezines (shameless plug!!) and select Internet Marketing as the category and 3000 as the circulation. In mere nanoseconds, poof! a list of all ezines that meet your need. Now you buy low cost advertising, sell a bundle of widgets, get rich and famous and HOW did you do all of that?

DATABASES OF COURSE!! ;)

The next time you need to look something up, remember how databases work and your job will go much faster. The next time you are improving your website, think about how a database might make things easier for YOUR clients.

Databases rule. Go out and use one today.

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Charlie Page is a copywriter who owns the Directory of Ezines and the Directory of Marketing. If you want to sell more online, visit Charlie today at http://www.directoryofmarketing.com