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Choosing and Creating a Database for Your Application

Author: Sharath Reddy

The first thing about creating a database is to choose the correct database platform. There are some very popular and efficient database management systems (DBMS) in use today such as the Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, IBM IMS and DB2 among others. The most important thing that needs to be considered while choosing the database is the requirements of the application. If the application is to be built on Microsoft technologies like.NET or ASP.NET, it is better to use Microsoft SQL server for the best performance. On the other hand, if the requirement is to handle huge volumes of simple mathematical transactions, the IBM IMS is a viable solution. However, as is the current trend, most applications on J2EE architecture uses the Oracle database for enhanced performance.

After the correct database is chosen, the next step is to create the database. The procedure to create the database differs according to the DBMS to be used. However, one thing that needs to be kept in mind while creating a database is that it should conform to the ANSI SQL standards.

There are several customizable options available during the creation of a database and its underlying schema, which could be crucial to the application. Therefore it is very important to know the documentation of the DBMS being used in your application. It would help in knowing any advanced parameters which might be helpful in fulfilling the requirements of the application. It is the duty of the Database Administrator (DBA) to choose the correct configuration and settings while creating the database, as these things can impact the performance of the application.

The database can be setup be using the “CREATE DATABASE (database name)” command. It is a good practice to ensure that the SQL syntax is written in capital letters while the variable components are written in small letters. This increases the readability of the statements and can be easily referenced for future. However, even if proper casing is not followed, the SQL statement would give the same result.

After the database is created, one needs to add tables, for which the inter-table relationships need to be properly planned. In most complex applications, major issues occur due to improper planning while creating the database. Once the database is completed, the upper layers of the application can be built on it. The database is the most important component of any application and must be chosen and created with caution.

To know about database management in greater details, you may visit www.techyv.com – a website full of free online resources like articles, blogs, tips and tricks, questions and solutions to all things related to IT.

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