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GCN Home > 07/07/08 issue

Databases of operation

GCN Lab review: New personal database programs get a little easier to use and offer improved features

By Carlos Soto, Special to GCN

Personal databases are among the more daunting types of software to select for an agency. Hundreds of potential trouble spots — some of which can and will throw you for a loop — lurk in these extremely inaccessible and paradoxical pieces of personal programming. Not only are personal databases — all databases, for that matter — infamous for being complicated to learn and use, they are often plagued by compatibility issues, high price tags and guides that are positively boring to read.

Any good database software should be able to do five things.

First, installation and setup should be effortless. In the recent past, databases could take hours to install and set up. Even with complex wizards, it wasn’t uncommon for a newly installed database to monopolize your afternoon while you got your settings just right.

Second, a personal database should be compatible with other software. That’s not always the case — a new database often causes other applications to crash or is simply incompatible with popular spreadsheet programs and large database servers. We tested all the databases in this review for compatibility with most commonly used office network-type programs.

Third, a user should not need a postgraduate degree in computer science to perform the basics, such as creating, running and saving queries. We call this the ease-ofuse factor, and it was important in our grading.

Fourth, any good database should keep your data safe from crashes and other programassociated vulnerabilities.

Finally, it should be affordable. A few bells and whistles are fine, but not if that means a greatly inflated cost.

It’s important to note that some companies, including Corel and its Paradox database, were not able to meet the product submission deadlines for this review.
Alpha Five Version 9 Platinum

If you have all the time in the world to learn a personal database, Alpha Five Version 9 Platinum is the one for you. However, if you want an easy-to-use program that you can learn as you go along, you might want to try one of the other databases in this review.

More news on related topics: Storage Management, Content / Record Management, Data Management, IT Management, Software Applications