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Computer science from A to Z
D is for Data
You have four friends coming over for dinner and your fridge is half-empty. You scour the index of your cookery book and find a risotto that you can rustle up with your limited provisions.
Your evening has been rescued... by a database!
When large volumes of information accumulate, how can they be organised so that we can find the information we are looking for quickly? That is what databases are for, whether they take the form of a printed index or electronic files.
Start by linking different pieces of information with one another - for example, in a table stipulating the ingredients, cooking time, accompanying wine, etc. for each dish. You can then query this database to find an entry that matches certain criteria, which may be of a quantitative or more qualitative nature. A well designed database will respond immediately and accurately.
Progress in computer science means that more and more data can now be stored in increasingly complex ways. Researchers are constantly designing new forms of database in order to digest this abundance of information!
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