5.12 Database management

5.12.1 What is a database?

Any organised collection of related information or data is a database. Perhaps an easier way to understand it is to relate it to things around you.

The idea of storing information in an organised pattern in a database, allows it to be rearranged in a desired manner. As an example, in a personal telephone diary you can access the telephone numbers by looking at the names. In case you find that the names are alphabetically arranged. You can easily sort them alphabetically. Also, certain names and telephone numbers, which are old and not required, can be deleted out. Thus you can easily do sorting or extraction of certain items or rearrangement of it in some way to easily manipulate it. Putting it simply, you can easily change or arrange the database to suit your needs. Changing and arranging the database will essentially include add to, Delete from, sort, search through and extract from a database. Manually, such task, however time consuming and tedious. As a result Microsoft ability to perform these tasks quickly prove out to be a boon. Larger the database the greater help it is. 
A complete set or a row of information for any entry is termed as records. Each item of information within a record is known as fields.

5.12.2 What is Database management?

To understand Database management system completely let us take an example. In a library, a librarian can perform the following activities on the index cards

1. Add the name of a new book included in the library, in the card system.

2. Print a worn out or a new card on this typewriter.

3. Sort the already existing information in some meaningful order.

4. Search the accession card having the information of a specific book.

5. Edit the information existing on the old cards.

6. Delete the cards of those book which are either lost or are damaged.

By performing these listed activities, in a way the librarian is managing the database of books name on his cards. But if the same activities of ADD, PRINT, SORT, SEARCH, EDIT or DELETE are executed on some database stored in a computer, using a software package, the concept is labelled as Database Management System. In this lesson you will see how Microsoft Excel can act as Database Management software.

5.12.3 Adding Sort Codes

To keep things arranged in a worksheet, Microsoft Excel offers a wide variety of aids. One of them being the fill command. This command permits the user to number columns, rows or cells within a range. The numbering could be either done consecutively starting with 1 or with an increment of 2, 5, or 100 and so on.

The command will prove handy, specially at the time of sort. After you have rearranged a set of records, it could be a possibility that you may wish to restore it back to the original order. You will face lot of difficulty in doing so, just in case the records are not initially numbered. So number them first, before you do the database operation. The steps listed below will help do so:

1.    Select Cell F5. At the moment, this column does not contain data. It has just a field name on top – NO. You will fill this column with numbers.

2.    Type 1 in cell F5 and press Enter.

3.    Since you have to increment the series by 1, select the cell F6 and type 2.
The difference between the two starting items determines the amount by which the series is to be incremented.

4.   Select the cells F5 and F6.

5.   Drag the fill handle over the range you want to fill i.e. till cell F16.  On releasing the handle, you will see that the range gets filled by numbers in increasing order.

6.   Click anywhere in the worksheet to see the filled range clearly.

7.   Save the worksheet by clicking on the Save button.

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