Database

Traditional Databases

The first databases were manual paper-based systems. Usually, paper records were stored in filing cabinets.

There were several problems associated with such databases:

• the storage of paper records was very bulky, often requiring several large filing cabinets

•  it was very easy to miss-file a paper record, or for records to be lost or damaged

• data was often duplicated in several records

•  keeping records up-to-date was difficult and time consuming, and often resulted in data inconsistency, where values were updated in one record but not in others

• many people were employed to maintain the records, which was costly

• searching for records was time consuming

• producing reports, such as sorted lists or data collated from several sources, was extremely time consuming, if not impossible.

Computerised databases were developed in order to address these problems.