Database Management System

Database Analysis

Information is a business’s most important asset. That information includes customer records, sales and marketing data, accounts receivable, accounts payable and inventory records. The information system that holds those records is a database.

In our organization, we use many different database platforms ranging in complexity from MS Access to MS SQL and Oracle. For relatively simple databases, usually in use by only one person or a very small department, MS Access has historically been the choice. The problem with MS Access is the size limitations that can become problematic over time. Larger, more complex applications, such as our analytical chromatography system or our Enterprise Resource Planning system utilize Oracle or SQL as their database engine.

An example of an MS Access application in use at our facility is our Plant Equipment Maintenance application, MP2. MP2 is a proprietary solution that is actually riding on an MS Access back end. The MS Access size limitation continues to be an issue for our maintenance department. Once the database reaches an excess of 25MB in size, problems arise. Because we process more than 1000 maintenance records each month,