Understanding Databases
What is so special about a database, you might ask? There are other ways of storing data, such as a creating a file format of your own design. For example, you might just store information in a comma-delimited text file. However, a database management system provides a lot of advantages, such as the following:
Databases allow you to forget about how data is physically stored on the hard drive and just concentrate on the information itself. If you store information in a custom file, any programs that use the file have to know not only what information they are looking for, but also how to get it from the file.
Databases can handle multiple users accessing data at the same time, and process user requests as separate units ...
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