Database

The Database

Databases are becoming as common in the workplace as the stapler. Businesses use databases to keep track of payroll, vacations, inventory, and a multitude of other taske of which are to vast to mention here. Basically businesses use databases anytime a large amount of data must be stored in such a manor that it can easily be searched, categorized and recalled in different means that can be easily read and understood by the end user. Databases are used extensively where I work. In fact, since Hyperion Solutions is a database and financial intelligence software developing company we produce one. To keep the material within scope I shall narrow the use of databases down to what we use just in the Orlando office of Hyperion Solutions alone.

In the Orlando office we have three main databases. We have a Microsoft Access Database, a Visual Source Safe database, and a Microsoft SQL server database with a custom web client front end. The Microsoft Access database is fairly simple. We use this data base to keep track of the computer hardware and software configurations that are used when doing quality assurance testing and problem replication and troubleshooting of the software product. For any one product we can have up to twenty or thirty different configurations. Initially keeping track of the configurations along with the machine name and IP address was done on paper with a grid like matrix. After a short period of time, this became extremely time consuming and impractical. A simple database was set up in Access and then the database was shared to allow each user to be able to find out what configuration each computer was in for that day or that week so that the proper tests and or bug reporting could be conducted. The database allows the users to search by software version, platform type, operating system, machine name, IP address, memory size, and several other items that are not as significant. Before the database was created the engineer would have to leave their desk find the chart and to a cross reference using the matrix that was drawn up, and hopefully that matrix was kept up to date. Now as the technicians update or change the machine configurations they can enter that information immediately into the database and it will automatically provide a matrix view or a tabular view for any engineer who needs it.

Our development engineers use the Source Safe database. This database is slightly different than how most people usually view a database. Instead of taking input in and then presenting that information out to the user or allowing the user to search on specific fields, the information that this database