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Databases vs. Workbooks for Numerical Analysis

Numerical analysis is useful for both scientists and mathematicians for the reason that it makes it easier to work with numbers and make sense and relationships out of them. Databases and workbooks are some of the famous and very popular applications that are used for numerical analysis. Both are quite powerful and well equipped with all the features that would be required by someone doing numerical analysis for their own purposes.  The databases and the workbooks might be used for the same kind of purposes, but are entirely different as it pertains to the way in which they are used and how well they can analyze information and data to provide results that have meaning and can be used to make impactful decisions.

To begin with, databases are applications that are known to be relatively complicated with regards to keeping, maintaining and managing information in the form of records. The records are simply stored and some of the operations that can be carried out on them are queries and matching relationships. However, this is not to mean that database applications are not useful for numerical analysis. The query feature is particularly useful for modern information management needs and makes it possible to draw out relationships between the records in a database. They can also be used to establish patterns that are inherent in the records and some unique features of the data set that is being analyzed. This makes the database applications a good choice for numerical analysis and a reason many companies are able to find out patterns of sales over a few months from their database. The databases are also known to be vast and can store a huge amount of records for a long time.

Workbooks are another application that is applied in numerical analysis to obtain statistical information about an information base. They are useful in companies, businesses and organizations that need to obtain statistical analysis from huge sources of data in addition to making reports and graphs of trends from the available information. The records that are maintained and managed in the workbooks are usually in the form of rows and records meaning that each piece of information that is stored in the workbooks can be compared to another field in the same workbook. Referencing all the single pieces of information that make up the workbook is also made simple with an addressing scheme that references the record by its row and column number. The users are therefore freed up in terms of making sense of information and cross-referencing records which makes them form patterns from the comfort of their workbooks. Charts and other mathematical functionalities make it much easier to generate reports that are professional and great for the workplace.

Whenever you are deciding between a database and a workbook for your numerical analysis purposes, be sure to fully understand the capabilities that come with each of them so that you make the best decision based on your current circumstance. The information that has been provided in this blog post will be a sure starting point for this all-important decision.