CST363: Week 1 (Week 17)

 Relational database tables and spreadsheets look similar with both having rows and columns.  What are some important differences between the two?

We've transitioned to the era of big data and databases are far better suited to large data sets than spreadsheets which become unwieldy after a time. Database systems have built-in features that allow atomic operations and ensure data integrity. Relational databases also have features that support linking tables for example the function of primary and foreign keys. Overall databases provide a broader range of operations and flexibility than spreadsheets which are better suited for simpler applications.

Installing and configuration a database and learning how to use it is more complicated that just reading and writing data to a file.  What are some important reasons that makes a database a useful investment of time?

Databases are safer when it comes to insuring data integrity versus something like an online excel spreadsheet. A bank, a stock exchange index, an airline ticketing system, etc. A very large spreadsheet could conceivably hold all of the data in any of those applications but errors would be all but guaranteed. The cost incurred by those errors would far exceed the cost of setting up and maintaining a proper database system.

What do you want to learn in this course that you think will be useful in your future career?

I want to learn how data is stored behind the scenes. We see databases in web applications and even in embedded applications now. I imagine that in applications smart cameras, geological survey systems, tracking systems, etc. they use some type of embedded database. I would like to at least have an idea as to how that is implemented.