A good database is quite different from an ordinary database in the way in which is stores information and maintains the integrity of the records on it. A good database also possesses features that are different from what anyone would be expecting from ordinary databases and this includes the ability to set some of the records as being more significant as the rest of the record. These are known as the primary keys for the records on the database and are known to make referencing the information in a database in an easy manner that is easy to use and understand.
Another feature of a good database is having referential integrity and this makes the database form relationships more easily. With the formation of the relationships, the database can be really effective at queries as all the results will come back with the references and relationships being embedded into the results and forming the kind of reports that are easy to make sense of. The users of the database will be able to take advantage of this referential integrity in making sense out of many records and finding out which records are related to the other records. The easy formation of relationships in the database is also a useful means of getting to know how well the database can be used and what benefits it will be rendering to the users.
Another feature of a good database is the ability to control what kind of data gets into the database. This is known as enforcing the data types in the database and the information that is used in the database will be legal and much safer to the database. For instance, the spaces in which records are required in text form cannot allow numbers to be entered instead which is a clear demonstration of the data type control and enforcement of the modern databases. The users of the database will have an easier time dealing with a database which controls the information being entered and refusing information that is not legal according to the perspective of the database. The database can also be programmed not to accept information within a certain range which enforces the information getting into the database.
Good database are also known to be good at keeping some of the data types hidden and the security of the database plays an important role in the selection of the database. A good database should keep all the information within it safe and secure and this means being able to reinforce integrity for all the records within the database. This supports the information in the database and makes it possible for the users of the information in the database to make better use of the database.
Good databases should also allow for integration with other applications such as desktop applications and web applications that have been designed and developed to draw information and references from the databases. Modern databases come with these features and getting to know the best features makes for the best selection of a database that will provide better services to the users no matter the area of application.