Types of Databases

A database is a structured collection of data that frequently remains stored electronically in a computer system. Usually, a database management system (DBMS) manages a database. A database system, frequently shortened to just a database, is a collective name for the data, the DBMS, and the software programs connected to it.

Today's most popular forms of databases generally describe their data in rows and columns in tables for easy handling and information searching. The information may then be accessed, managed, changed, updated, regulated, and organized with simplicity. Most databases allow users to write and query data using a structured query language (SQL).

The functionality that databases provide for users depends extensively on the design of the various types of databases. Data may be stored in various ways because it is a dynamic object. Also, it explains why organizations create custom databases that meet their requirements.

These are the following different types of Databases:

1. Centralized Database
2. Distributed Database
3. Relational Database
4. NoSQL Database
5. Cloud Database
6. Object Oriented Databases
7. Hierarchical Database
8. Network Database
9. Personal Database
10. Operational Database
11. Enterprise Database

1. Centralized Database

A centralized database system uses a particular form of database to store data. Retrieving saved data through multiple applications from various places is easy for users. These projects have an authentication method so that customers may access data securely. A centralized database is an organization such as the Central Library, which has one database of every one of the libraries for an educational institution.

Advantages of a Centralized Database

Following are the four advantages of centralized database systems:

• Data modification will not change the fundamental data. Due to this, it reduces the risk associated with data management.
• Data consistency is maintained since it manages data in a centralized repository.
• Businesses can establish data standards due to improved data quality.
• Fewer vendors are required to manage the data sets. Therefore the cost is lower.

Disadvantages of Centralized Database

Following are the three disadvantages of centralized database systems:

• The size of the centralized database lengthens the time it takes to obtain data.
• An extensive database system is challenging to update.
• Any server failure will result in losing all data, which might be a significant loss.

2. Distributed Database

A distributed database is not limited to a particular system, sometimes called a database over several sites or a collection of computers. The different locations that comprise a distributed database system do not have a same physical component. When several people from all over the world must be able to access a particular database, this may be necessary. It must be administered to make it appear to users to be a single database.

Two types of Distributed Database:

1. Homogeneous Database: The storage can be done uniformly. There are no differences between the sites' operating systems, database management systems, or data structures. This makes them simple to operate on. 

2. Heterogeneous Database: There may be problems with queries and transactions within a heterogeneous distributed database since different sites may have distinct applications and schema. There's also a chance that a specific site needs to be made aware of all the others. Computers can have different operating systems and database software. Even alternative database data models may be used. Translations are thus necessary for communication across various sites.

Advantages of Distributed Database

Following are the five advantages of distributed database systems:

1) Data processing is quick because of several locations' involvement in request processing in a system with distributed databases. 

2) This system is highly reliable and available.

3). It has lower operational costs.

4) Adding more locations makes it simpler to extend the system.

5) The capacity to share and local authority have both improved.

Disadvantages of Distributed Database

Following are the four disadvantages of distributed database systems:

1) They are difficult to operate and maintain.

2) Carefully managing security concerns is necessary.

3. The system must handle deadlocks when processing transactions. Otherwise, the system as a whole could be inconsistent.

4) The procedure of distributed database systems needs some standardization.

3. Relational Database

This database was created using a relational data architecture, which organizes data into tables (also known as relations) and rows (referred to as tuples or tuple sets) that include attributes. SQL stores, maintains and changes data with the relational database's framework. The database was created in 1970 by E.F. Codd. Each database table has a unique key that differentiates it from other table’s data. Several relational databases include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.

Relational Database Properties:

The relational model has the following four well-known characteristics, which are often referred to as ACID properties:

Atomicity: This ensures that the data operation ends successfully or unsuccessfully. The all or nothing approach is used. As an example, a transaction can be either performed or canceled.

Consistency: The letter C stands for consistency, which signifies that each action we do on the data should retain its initial and subsequent values. For example, the account balance should be accurate before and after the transaction, meaning it should stay saved.

Isolation: Data from the database may be accessed concurrently by users. Therefore, the data should continue to be segregated from one another. One transaction's consequences, for instance, shouldn't be visible to other transactions in the database while many transactions are taking place simultaneously.

Durability: D stands for durability, which ensures that when an operation is finished, and the data is committed, any modifications to the data should be permanent.

4. NoSQL Database

Other than SQL, various data sets can be stored in a SQL database, a form of a database. Since it maintains data in other formats besides tabular form, it is not a relational database. As the need for creating modern applications developed, it was created. Because of this, NoSQL offered a wide range of database systems to meet expectations. The following four categories of NoSQL databases can be further divided down:

Key Value Storage: The most basic form of database storage is key-value storage, which groups each item's value with its key (or attribute name).

Document-Oriented Database: Data is kept in document-oriented databases in documents that resemble JSON. Using the same document-model structure as in the application code improves data storage for developers.

Graph Databases: Graph databases may store Large volumes of data in a graph-like structure. Social networking websites most frequently use the graph database.

Wide columns store: It resembles the information displayed in relational databases. Instead of being kept in rows, the data is gathered in these giant columns.

Advantages of NoSQL Database

Following are the three advantages of NoSQL database systems:

• The ability to create applications with high levels of efficiency makes organized data storage unnecessary.
• This allows for more efficient management and handling of extensive data collection.
• It can be scaled up and down easily.
• Users may quickly obtain data from the database using key-value.

5. Cloud Database

A database provided, accessed, and installed in the cloud is known as a cloud database. Structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data are organized and stored in cloud databases like conventional local databases. But they also provide numerous of the same advantages of cloud computing, including quickness, flexibility, agility, and reduced costs.

Cloud databases may be divided into relational and non-relational, like conventional on-premises databases.

• Relational cloud databases allow you to arrange data in established connections to understand how information is logically interrelated. They are made up of one or more tables with columns and rows. Structured query language (SQL) may query and alter data in these databases, which usually have a predetermined data schema. They work best when dealing with enormous volumes of structured data since they are highly consistent, dependable, and reliable.
• Relational databases include platforms like SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle, as well as PostgreSQL, Spanner, & cloud SQL.
• Non-relational databases in the cloud storage handle unstructured data, including text from emails and mobile messages, papers, surveys, rich media files, and sensors. Like relational databases, they aren't bound to a particular schema and allow you to save and organize data in any manner.

6. Object Oriented Database

A combination of relational databases with object-oriented programming builds up an object-oriented database. Many things are created with OOPS languages like C++ and Java that can be saved in relational databases, but certain items are more appropriate for object-oriented databases.

An object-oriented database is organized around objects instead of activities and data. Simply audio or visual records could represent a defined data item in a relational database compared to alphanumeric values.

Advantages of Object-Oriented Database

Following are the five biggest advantages of object-oriented database systems:

1) Effective Representation: The efficient control of complicated data structures and interactions is one of the key benefits of object-oriented databases. These databases effectively represent and handle complicated data structures and relationships. This is particularly advantageous for applications that combine data from several sources and data kinds, including multimedia data or data from several sources.

2) Increased modularity and code reuse: Object-oriented databases give polymorphism and inheritance, enabling effective code and data structure reuse. This enhances the database versatility and maintainability and makes it easier to design and handle complicated data structures.

3) Support for data integration: Object-oriented databases allow for the visualization of complicated data structures and connections, so they are particularly suitable for applications that integrate data from many sources and data types.

4) Flexibility and adaptability: Object-oriented databases have great flexibility and adaptability, making it simple to adapt to changes in data structures and specifications.

5) Performance gains: Object-oriented databases can perform better than other database designs because they are designed to model and manage complex data structures and connections efficiently.

7. Hierarchical Database

A hierarchical model shows the data in a tree-like structure, where each record has only one parent. A sort field records the sibling nodes in an arrangement that maintains order. An Information Management System (IMS) from IBM is one of the early computer database administration systems for which these models were primarily created.

This model structure enables relationships between two/different data types, one-to-one and one-to-many. Table of contents, any nested information, and other sorted information may all be described using this structure, which is highly beneficial in many real-world interactions.

Advantages of Hierarchical Database

Following are the two advantages of hierarchical database systems:

• A user may obtain data more rapidly because transparent relationships exist between the table structures.
• A record in the child table needs to be linked to a being record in a parent table because the integrity of referential relationships is built and automatically implemented. Moreover, if a record is deleted from the parent table, all related records in the table it belongs to will also be deleted.

Disadvantages of Hierarchical Database

Following are the two disadvantages of hierarchical database systems:

• It becomes challenging to keep track of, and users must add another entry in the parent table when they need to store an entry in another table disconnected from any data in the primary table.
• This kind of database cannot support complex linkages, and there is also a problem with redundancy, which can lead to the creation of false information because of the inconsistency in data recording at different places.

8. Network Database

A network data model, which enables each record to be associated with multiple primary and many secondary records, is the foundation for a network database management system (DBMS). Using network databases, you can create a custom representation of the relationships between things. Charles Bachman developed the network model to expand the hierarchical database model in 1969.

In network databases, the term "network" refers to relationships between various data elements rather than connections between machines and software.

Advantages of Network Database

Following are the three best advantages of network database systems:

• Network databases have a straightforward structure and are simple to create, much like databases with a hierarchical structure.
• Many relationships-network models can handle one-to-many and many-to-many connections, essential for representing actual interactions between objects. 
• Access to data is quicker and more straightforward compared to a hierarchical database.

9. Personal Database

A personal database created only for one individual is called a personal database. These frequently appear on desktop computers and have a relatively basic layout with just a few tables. Usually, advanced processes, significant volumes of data, or corporate operations are not appropriate for personal databases.

Disadvantages of Personal Database

Following are the two disadvantages of personal database systems:
1) Less amount of data
Personal database management systems hold smaller amounts of data and information. To obtain more data, there is no communication with other computers.

2) No access to an external database

The personal database system is the only component of a personal database administration system. There is no link to accessing the data and information with other computing or database systems.

10. Operational Database

Software with an operational database management system (DBMS) is made to make it simple for users to define, alter, retrieve, and handle data instantaneously. Standard databases depend on batch processing, whereas operational database platforms are focused on real-time and transactional processes.

AWS Dynamo and Apache Cassandra are examples of operational databases which are highly used today.

Features of Operational Database

Query Processing: In seconds, user requests are converted into simple directions, assessed, and optimized. After that, the relevant data is pulled from the database and displayed to the user.

Replication: It reduces latency and provides resilience by making copies of stored data in numerous places.

File Organisation: To simplify complicated use cases, files are organized and kept in the appropriate places.

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