Companies considering industry-specific software will hear about the database of a potential software package.
What exactly is meant by the database and why is it important? For scrap metal recycling companies, a software’s database will have ramifications for many aspects of a business now and in the future.
What is a database?
Databases are the foundation of all modern information systems. A database is a logically organized collection of data, designed in such a way that the information within it can be easily accessed for later use by a computer program. Databases power many day-to-day activities, like online banking, airline reservations or shopping, internet research or entertainment like Netflix. Databases, however, are not just for large enterprises serving millions of people. Small businesses and groups of people benefit from utilizing a good database. Your data will be more accurate, reliable, valuable, and easy to use with a good database.
The purpose of storing data electronically is not just to eliminate some file cabinets of paper documents. One of the main reasons to put information in a database is so that it can be observed and analyzed. If a business collects data on sales, purchases, inventory and customer service, it can analyze this data to improve processes, expand the business and increase revenue. Among the things that can be considered data are facts, like a name or weight, and images, like pictures from a scale. Files and PDFs can also be stored and considered data.
While there are a number of different types of databases, they all include the same five basic components:
Hardware – the physical devices the database software runs on, including computers, servers and hard drives.
Software – database management system (DBMS) software is used to manage and control the database.
Data – the raw information that the database stores.
Data access language – the programming language that controls the database. The programming language and the DBMS work together to manage the database.
Procedures – rules that determine how the database works and how it handles the data.
There are some common issues surrounding setting up, operating and maintaining a database. Some of those issues include:
Data security – making sure the data is safe and protected.
Data integrity – ensuring the data is correct and accurate. This usually requires allowing access to the database to only those qualified to accurately handle the information.
Database performance – regular database updates and maintenance are essential to keeping the database performing well. Without this proper support, database functionality can decline. This is because the technology supporting the database is constantly changing and the data changes as well.
ScrapWare Corp. has provided, maintained and serviced industry-specific software to the scrap metal recycling industry for nearly 35 years.
Since its inception, ScrapWare has worked to remain on the cutting edge of innovation in database use, since it is the backbone any information system. For the last several years, ScrapWare has used the Oracle 19c database in a cloud-based product.
Oracle is the world’s largest database management company. Founded in 1977, it is the global leader in developing computer software applications for business. Inspired by computer science research on a relational database model, founder Larry Ellison and partners saw tremendous commercial potential for this approach which organized large amounts of data in a way allowing for efficient storage and quick retrieval. In 1979 the company released Oracle, the first relational database program to use Structured Query Language (SQL) for commercial use. It’s first customer was the U.S. Air Force, which used the program at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. By 1987, Oracle became the largest database company in the world.
According to the industry analysts at DB-Engines, for four decades Oracle has provided a stable, mature, enterprise-grade database to its customers. DB-Engines still ranks Oracle as the most popular database system. According to industry experts writing for the online publication Towards Data Science, today Oracle is the number one commercially supported database and one of the most widely used RDBMS overall. Oracle’s latest release has added many innovative features that will make it an attractive option in the coming years, according to Towards Data Science reports. This makes Oracle a premier database choice for scrap metal recycling companies, affording them the following benefits:
Scalability – One of the most important features of a database for a business is its ability to quickly and easily expand its usage. ScrapWare’s Oracle cloud product allows its customers to add capacity in an uncomplicated manner, as a business may add new yards, new users or even new businesses into their existing database.
Reliability – Oracle’s cloud product provides the most reliable data storage available. Oracle has multiple data centers around the country and even internationally. The Oracle cloud product provides frequent routine updates and maintenance to ensure data reliability. These are regularly provided to ScrapWare customers at no additional expense.
Security – Oracle’s products offer the most robust data protection available on the market today, in processes refined over decades of commercial experience.
Innovation – Since Oracle was at the forefront of commercial database development, it has maintained the lead in database innovation. It is for this reason that industry groups like DB-Engines continue to give it a top ranking.
ScrapWare operates a cloud-based version of Oracle. Cloud-based software provides an advantage with all the above issues such as scalability, reliability and security because the data is professionally stored, maintained, updated and protected.
When implementing industry-specific database, be sure to start with the strongest foundation available, a product built on a database created, maintained and backed-up by the most knowledgeable, experienced and innovative professionals in the industry.
About ScrapWare Corporation: Since 1989, Rockville, Maryland-based ScrapWare Corporation has been the software of choice for the recycling industry. Its ease of installation and simplicity saves users time and money, while helping them achieve compliance and maintain accurate business insights. With state-of-the-art functionality that‘s tailored to each organization’s unique requirements, ScrapWare is an advanced dynamic software solution that alleviates the most pressing recycling industry worries. For more information, please call (301) 517-8500 or visit https://www.scrapware.com/.