What is a Database? The Power of Tables on learning databases from scratch. This lecture introduces what a database is and the concept of relational databases.
In the last lecture, we learned that data is a collection of facts. Now, let’s talk about the tool we use to store and manage that data: the database.
The Digital Filing Cabinet
Think of a database as a smart, digital filing cabinet. A traditional filing cabinet stores paper files in organized folders. A database stores digital data in an organized structure.
But a database is much more powerful than a simple filing cabinet. It’s a software application that allows you to:
- Store large amounts of data.
- Retrieve data very quickly.
- Update or change data easily.
- Organize data in a structured way.
- Protect your data and keep it safe.
Relational Databases: The Power of Tables
There are different types of databases, but the most common type, and the one we will learn, is called a relational database.
A relational database organizes data into tables. A table is just a grid of rows and columns, like a spreadsheet.
- The columns define what kind of data we are storing (like “Name”, “Age”, “City”).
- The rows contain the actual data for each entry (like “Asad Javed”, “30”, “New York”).
The “relational” part means we can create relationships between these tables. For example, we could have one table for `Customers` and another for `Orders`. We can then link them together to see which customer made which order. This is an incredibly powerful way to organize information.
Our Tool: SQLite
For this course, we will be using a specific relational database called SQLite. We choose SQLite because:
- It’s Simple: It doesn’t require any complicated installation or server setup. A database is just a single file on your computer.
- It’s Powerful: It uses the same standard language (SQL) as bigger databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL.
- It’s Everywhere: SQLite is used in countless applications, including web browsers, smartphones, and other software.
The skills you learn with SQLite will directly apply to other, more complex databases later in your career.
In the Next Lecture…
We will get our hands dirty! I’ll show you how to set up SQLite on your computer so we can start writing our very first code to create a database.
