What is a database?
A database is a software installed on a server or PC. Each database has one or more interfaces. A database user (or application) must first log on to the database system. There, the data is stored in a structured way in the form of tables. A record in a database table consists of various 1-n data fields. The individual fields can have various data types. Access to the individual tables is managed by a database management system (user rights management). Physically, the data is stored in a collection of files.
Relational databases
The relationships between the individual fields of the tables form a certain structure (a database model). The entire data stock can therefore be connected with each other. This is done by indexes and ID's between the individual fields of the data models. The data administration and management of the tables and its relations takes over the software of the database system. The data from different tables thus form a data model. With data indexing, even large amounts of data are answered very quickly via the SQL queries.
The database language
Text-based SQL queries have become established as the standard language. The queries can be very complex and can be built between different relational tables. The amount of data returned can also contain several million records. The individual records are fetched with a cursor. The server system of a database should have as much memory available as possible.
What databases are available?
Currently, the following databases have prevailed (dbms):
- Oracle
- MS-SQL
- MariaDB (MySQL)
- MS-Access
- DB/2 (currently already very rare)
There are certainly still quite a few databases that are very special or no longer play a role. The security of the data has the highest priority.
Conclusion
The databases manage the data volumes and serve as data containers. In logistics, databases are very important. They are used for customer registration, order entry, picking and shipping or production. The relational database system manages the data objects.
All LUCA systems, such as Pick-to-Light, Voice Picking, Pick-by-Point, etc. use the databases. For more general information about picking in logistics, see the article Picking systems.
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