Why use a Database?

Databases are useful in many different scenarios for storing data. It is typical to use a database when different sets of data needs to be linked together, such as:

• Libraries and their members and books
• Pupils in a school and their grades
• Customer records and sales information
• Patients’ and doctors’ records
• Sports clubs and their members
• Transactions between different bank accounts
• Taxpayers and income tax payments
• Driving instructor and their students

The three main advantages that databases have over other, simpler data storage systems (such as text files and spreadsheets) are access, integrity, and security.