Difference between file-based and database approaches
Permanent files are one method of keeping data on a computer. There are several application programs on a business system, and each one is made to work with these data files. There are several disadvantages for the file-based system:
Data redundancy: When a field in a database needs to be updated in multiple tables, this is known as data redundancy. This can cause wastage of memory and inaccurate business predictions.
Data isolation: When and how other concurrent users and systems are made aware of changes made by one operation. In a file-based system, the concurrent update does not happen so the interested parties may not get the real picture of the business.
Data integrity: Ensuring the correctness and consistency of data is difficult. In order to implement new constraints on data, it is challenging to make changes to the application program.
Security: File-based system does not provide strong security. For example, the spreadsheet program is highly vulnerable to viruses and hacks.
Concurrency: Achieving this in a file-based system is not possible as when one user is using a file that file becomes locked and no one else has access to that file. However, in the database system, multiple users can access the same file due to the database system’s management of concurrency.
Self describing: Separation of data and information about the data makes a database system totally different from the traditional file-based system.
Insulation between program and data: In the database approach, the data structure is stored in the system catalogue and not in the programs. Therefore, one change is all that is needed to change the structure of a file. This insulation between the programs and data is also called program-data independence.
Security: Database allows controlled access depending on user clearance level.
Backup and recovery: Database system provides backup and recovery subsystems
(Watt, 2014)
Reference
Watt, A. (2014, October 24). Database Design — 2nd Edition — The BC Open Textbook Project. Opentextbc.ca; Pressbooks. https://opentextbc.ca/dbdesign01/
