When the whole digital revolution kicked off and businesses started going paperless, many opted to store their databases and information on programmes such as Excel and Access. It was exciting to move into an electronic solution that was easier to update and provided a simpler way to find the information you were looking for.
These solutions often worked well for businesses in the beginning. However, the more complicated the digital world became, the more this kind of system got left behind – and your business got left behind too.
The downside to Excel and Access
The biggest problem with using an Excel spreadsheet is that you have to find a way to ensure that everyone is working off the most recent version of the document. If it is saved on a shared drive, usually each person would have to download the file, update it and then reupload it. The trick is to then make sure that no one else is uploading a new version during the process so that you don’t overwrite their changes when you upload your version. It becomes far too easy for data to get lost or gaps to appear in your database.
An Access database is an improvement on this system as one file is kept in a single place and can be accessed by multiple users. Problems occur, however, when people are using different operating systems on their computers or have a slow network connection that fails to update to the latest version of the database.
The benefits of switching to SQL
The solution to all of this is to switch to an SQL database. It’s a simple process for a software company to take what you have created in Access or Excel and convert it for you. Then, you’ll get some great benefits:
- Versatility – An SQL database can run on a wide range of different servers, laptops, desktops and even on mobile devices. They also come in a number of different forms and flavours, including Postgres SQL, MySQL, MS-SQL, Maria DB, NOSQL and Oracle. The type you go for will depend on the type of data you’re storing, how much you’re storing, speed of data updates and inserts, and the language used to retrieve the data.
- Easy integration – This type of programme allows for data to be added and extracted with a number of free tools and report writers. In fact, Excel is often used to draw data from the SQL database and produce reports and graphs easily and efficiently.
- Safety and security – SQL databases are carefully controlled and have fallbacks that prevent records being overwritten or corrupted. They’re designed to handle anywhere between a few entries and millions of records from multiple input sources at the same time. You also get the added benefit of controlling access via usernames and passwords, and you can encrypt sensitive information.
Let Netgen help
Millions of users worldwide in multinational and small complies rely on the SQL database structure to support their data and systems. They’re secure and stable, and protect your valuable data from breach, loss, and corruption. Isn’t it time you let the Netgen experts update your company databases to SQL?