Issues - DB v's conventional

• Easily designed - files based on a single application
• Processing speed - smaller amounts of data
• Already in-place. Since this was the first file system, many organisations already have the data in this form.

• Rapidly being replace by database technology
• Data duplication requiring duplicate input, maintenance and storage.
• Difficult to change eg. Phone numberr format has changed.
• Inflexible - unable to be easily modified to changing requirements.

Pros

• Reduced data redundancy
• improves consistency of data while reducing waste of storage space.
• makes it easier to resolve errors and inconsistencies in reports
• enables one change to affect all the organisations data, rather than multiple changes required where multiple occurrences of the data reside.
• fewer files required.
• Data integrated and shared
• enables data to be shared by several applications.
• enables new applications to be developed without establishing new data files
• Data independence
• since applications use the data, these applications may be modified and enhanced independent of the data.
• Data stored in a common format
• Data may be accessed in a variety of ways, such as through SQL. eg. non-computing personnel for 'ad-hoc' reporting
• Data integrity controllable
• as the database is extended data controls may be put in place.
• with data integrated, duplication of an organisation's data may be managed. Traditional file structures require "custom" files for each application.
• Field formats may be easily changed.
• Data centralised (both pro and con!)
• enables better standards, security and controls
• Rapidly replacing conventional file storage.

Cons

• Total integration of data often impractical, causing many databases to be built.
• Addressing privacy and security issues may be complex.
• Special software is required, the DBMS. This may be expensive.
• High costs of development, training and design.
• Performance due to overheads. This is becoming less of an issue as database storage techniques improve, and hardware improves in performance.
• Increased vulnerability since "all the eggs are in one basket". So backup and recovery issues more complex and costly.