Choosing The Best Database Software For Your Business

Most businesses nowadays require some sort of database. You need to keep track of information in an organized manner, be able to pull it out quickly whenever you require it, and produce reports and analyses of progress. Because of how important your database is, choosing the right system is a huge task. After all, changing your software after you’ve started using it can cause a terrible headache for everyone involved.

When going through the top apps for database management, you should consider a number of factors. First of all, its usability — and we don’t mean just for data professionals, but everyone. You don’t want to invest time and money in a software that will be difficult to handle, because, more likely than not, people from all across the business are going to need to use it.

Another factor is functionality, including integrations with other systems you work with as a company. What do you want your database to achieve? What kind of reports and forecasting should it produce? What level of automation? Look through the specs of your desired app based on these. And of course, don’t forget security and customer service.

While there are dozens of incredible programs that can host a database to perfection, we’ve picked the top four you may want to delve a little more into. This will hopefully help inform your decision.

1.Excel

Excel is actually a great tool for databases. It allows you to add up to one million rows and 16,000 columns, which would be more than enough for most organizations. It’s inexpensive — you most likely already have access to it — and everyone understands the basics of it. However, while Excel can be great as a database, it lacks some of the possibilities of more robust relational databases, such as their flexibility and categorization capabilities.

It also has a host of issues, from security risks to problems arising from collaboration. The Microsoft program was not built for collaboration over a number of devices, which means in order to have multiple people working on a spreadsheet, you have to send them a flat file, usually over email. Not only can this cause a security breach, but it also means that employees may be using different versions of the same document, producing a headache for everyone involved. 

Luckily, there are some options for those who want to harness Excel’s benefits while still enjoying the pluses of relational databases. EASA is a nifty piece of software that comes with its own relational database and allows you to capture the data from Excel files — including macros and VBAs — into this database. You can also save the data into existing corporate databases such as Oracle.

“A ‘citizen developer’ is able to share important Excel spreadsheets to multiple end users across an enterprise, while ensuring that the data within every instance of the spreadsheet generated by every user — inputs and calculated outputs — is captured into a relational database server on your corporate network or cloud,” the experts at EASA explain. This removes the need to send these files via methods like email, therefore eliminating the security and version control issues associated with Excel. What’s more, individuals can only edit the spreadsheets’ input data, not the actual master files, which are saved in the relational database, thereby preventing version confusion too. Pretty cool.

2.Salesforce

If your database needs revolve around customer relationship management, Salesforce is the leader in the market and currently provides services to 150,000 paying customers. Its platform helps organizations to connect better with their customers and partners, keep tabs on them, and even predict their behaviours in certain situations. Similarly to Excel, it maintains information in tables, however, it has relational database capabilities, which makes it markedly useful for lead generation and client management.

Working on a cloud-based system, it allows you to keep your data secure and accessible. And while it works great as-is, it also offers a wide range of integrations, and provides a completely customizable experience for businesses if they wish. It may require some practice to learn how to make the most out of Salesforce, though, so don’t expect to be an expert from the first moment you touch the software. That’s where its size and popularity come to play — there are many online tutorials available, as well as robust guides and courses that the company offers itself.

3.Xero

Retail businesses may need a more specific solution that can handle stock. Xero is the perfect option in this case, enabling you to keep track of your inventory, and even manage your cash-flow. Known as an accounting software, Xero is particularly good for invoicing, purchase orders and quotes. The program can host templates for financial tools like these and create them straight from the app, making it into a sales hub like no other.

It’s also got an important functionality to any retailer — reporting. Through Xero, you can run inventory management checks which helps you recognize which items are selling better, and the ones that are most profitable. Not only does this help you maintain good levels of stock, but it encourages you to reconsider your products and learn from your experience too. Like Salesforce, Xero also has a whole host of integrations that can be useful for ecommerce businesses, from PayPal to Mailchimp.

4.Oracle

For businesses that want to invest in a database software that can do everything, Oracle is probably the app you should go for. This one-stop-shop includes customer relationships management — in fact, Salesforce uses some of its capabilities — as well as supply chain management, online transaction processing, and data warehousing.

It is one of the most popular relational databases in existence today, but it is known for being user-centric in its functionality, meaning that it is simpler to grasp. You’ll still need some training, however, which Oracle is happy to provide through its university. Oracle is also easily scalable, boasting being suitable for any business size.

According to the company, using the database can reduce operational costs by up to 90%, guard against data breaches, and maximize ROI. This is because the program is built to be a single database for all data types.