Database Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Important Database
Concepts
In This Chapter
Using a database to get past Excel limitations
●
Getting familiar with database terminology
●
Understanding relational databases
●
How databases are designed
●
Although Excel is traditionally considered the premier tool for data analysis and reporting, it has
some inherent characteristics that often lead to issues revolving around scalability, transparency of
analytic processes, and confusion between data and presentation. Over the last several years,
Microsoft has recognized this and created tools that allow you to develop reporting and business
intelligence by connecting to various external databases. Microsoft has gone a step further with Excel
2013, offering business intelligence (BI) tools like Power Pivot natively; it effectively allows you to
build robust relational data models within Excel.
With the introduction of these BI tools, it's becoming increasingly important for you to understand
core database fundamentals. Unlike traditional Excel concepts, where the approach to developing
solutions is relatively intuitive, good database-driven development requires a bit of prior knowledge.
There are a handful of fundamentals you should know before jumping into the BI tools. These include
database terminology, basic database concepts, and database best practices.
The topics covered in this chapter explain the concepts and techniques necessary to successfully use
database environments and give you the skills needed to normalize data and plan and implement
effective tables.
If you're already familiar with the concepts involved in database design, you may want to skim this
chapter. If you're new to the world of databases, spend some time in this chapter gaining a thorough
understanding of these important topics.
7
Search WWH ::
Custom Search