Considerable changes are coming too - not the least a tumble in the price of information. See chapter 32 of the FAQ for more. Another change is a move towards full text databases. Some databases include only bibliographic information, many provide abstracts, but only a small fraction include full text. This will frustrate you deeply as full text databases are so very very convenient.
Technical strategy is discussed in the FAQ Training article.
Here we will discuss more general topics. Researching databases is incredibly difficult and cumbersome. They challenge the mind, stretch far beyond the simple skills of searching the Internet, and since every minute is expensive, there is much added pressure. This character has also blurred the contours of a database. Most small databases are merely digested versions of small books and directories, often made available to you at 50 cents a page.