Small businesses are always struggling with their databases. Mostly it is the cost of maintaining a unified database that poses the biggest challenge. In other cases, it is disjointed data curation that gets the better of the analytics teams. We have seen businesses with parts of their data on MS Outlook, parts in LinkedIn, and the rest in email programs like MailChimp. Scattered data is far worse than having no data at all. These businesses keep asking one question over and over, "Which database technology is better for my business database?"
What these businesses need is a comprehensive database management system that offers embedded analytics solutions. Companies that successfully monetize their data see up to 20% of total revenue generated by analytics-based offerings. A company needs more than just money to maintain a DBMS. It requires several individuals trained in the art of data management. Small businesses that do not have millions of dollars lying around can also build their own database using the help of remote database services. RemoteDBA.com provides remote database administration services to small and big businesses, who need to maintain their database on a tight budget. DBAs are just as competent as in-house DBAs in updating company data and keeping it safe from security threats.
What are a few good examples of database management systems for small businesses?
Database management system refers to all kinds of systems that can manage databases. Since a considerable variety of databases exist right now, there can be more than one database in one DBMS. Huge volumes of data flow into the database each waking moment. People interact with business databases, without even realizing so. For example – people contribute to the data pool when they log into the server/website. Oracle and Microsoft SQL are good examples of DBMS that small businesses use to manage consumer data.If you are looking forward towards using Oracle DBMS for your business, you need to think about getting your own DBA. As we have mentioned before, you can always opt for a remote DBA service. Oracle is quite expansive, and it takes years to master. There is no way you can replace a DBA with a programmer and hope to get a working business database. MySQL databases are simple. In most cases, small companies can easily make do with a programmer, who is given the charge of managing all the data. Larger enterprises often require database architects to build a new database infrastructure and update their data content.
Database management does not always require millions
The advancement in data technology has enabled businesses to take charge of their own data. Here are two examples of such technology that’s making life a lot smoother for small business owners:
- Google Docs provides online spreadsheets for data storage. Any user can turn these into data repositories, accessible for daily updates.
- MySQL and SQLite are free database systems that confer data management abilities to websites . They have the basics required for data processing.
Why do companies need RDBMS now more than ever?
RDBMS forms strong relationships between data. When a database has information about a customer and a product in two different tables, an RDBMS can link the data and manage their relationships systematically. It can help companies understand employee performance, customer behavior, and customer preferences. RDBMS can also aid the evolution of email lists and personalization of offers for businesses.RDBMS can help business managers find useful information from a data lake. Not only that, you can easily delete useless data, obsolete information, and repair old tables using new logic. An RDBMS can consolidate details like a person's name, demographics, product preferences, buying history and shopping cart abandonment trends. They can update new information and modify old statistics almost in real-time. Thus small companies can track their sales record and improvise on their production plans accordingly.
RDBMS also enables the business managers and executives to look for specific information almost instantly. The DBA has to run and query and Voila! You will have the information in any form you want. From simple numbers to graphical representations, these database management systems allow business owners to search for particular information throughout the system. In fact, many online sellers are already using RDBMS to store customer-accessible information on their products and services. By listing all the products in one place, the companies are creating a predictable and sequential format of data. Customers can find whatever information they need with relative ease.
The evolution of database management systems is not only helping businesses, but it is also helping the customers. Consumers are getting better services, thanks to the database analytics and the companies are enjoying more sales, thanks to customer satisfaction. RDBMS has made it much easier for smaller companies and start-ups to find their place among the big fish of the business world.
