How to Choose the Right Database Management System for Your Business?
Tags: dbms, database
Published: 2023-04-30 16:12:41

## Overview
In today's digital age, data is the lifeline of businesses. It is crucial to have an efficient database management system (DBMS) to store, organize, and retrieve data effectively. The right DBMS can enhance business operations, boost productivity, and improve customer experience. 

The main objective is to develop a dependable database that can reduce downtime. A DBMS may assist a company in resolving issues like revenue loss, which can cost thousands of dollars each minute of downtime, as well as issues with the company's reputation and future commercial opportunities.

However, choosing the right DBMS for your business can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it can be challenging to determine which DBMS will best meet your business needs. This article will guide you through the process of selecting the right DBMS for your business. 

We will explore the various factors that you should consider when evaluating DBMS options, including the type of data you need to store, scalability requirements, security features, and more. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how to choose the right DBMS for your business.

## Types of Database Management Systems

Before we dive into the factors to consider when selecting a DBMS, let's briefly discuss the different types of DBMS available. The three main types of DBMS are:

- Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS)

RDBMS is the most common type of DBMS. It is based on the relational model, which uses tables, columns, and rows to organize data. RDBMS is ideal for businesses that need to store structured data, such as customer information, inventory records, and financial transactions. [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/), and PostgreSQL are two such DBMSs.

- NoSQL Database Management Systems

NoSQL DBMS is a non-relational DBMS. It is designed to handle unstructured and semi-structured data, such as social media data, sensor data, and multimedia content. NoSQL DBMS is ideal for businesses that need to store large amounts of data, perform real-time analysis, and handle high-traffic loads. Examples of NoSQL DBMS are Cassandra and MongoDB.

- Object-Oriented Database Management Systems (OODBMS)

[OODBMS](https://www.techtarget.com/searchoracle/definition/object-oriented-database-management-system) is a type of DBMS that is based on the object-oriented programming paradigm. It stores data in the form of objects, which can contain attributes and methods. OODBMS is ideal for businesses that need to store complex data structures, such as multimedia content and software applications. Examples are db4o and ObjectStore.

When deciding which DBMS to work with, these are the major three types to be considered. However, DBMS can further be differentiated on different aspects like cloud databases (stored on the cloud), time-series databases (where time-based queries are optimized), and distributed databases (stored on multiple servers).

## Factors to Consider When Choosing a DBMS

There are some key factors to be considered to choose the right DBMS for your business. They are:

- Type of Data to Store

The type of data you need to store will determine the type of DBMS you need. If you need to store structured data, such as customer information, inventory records, and financial transactions, an RDBMS is ideal. If you need to store unstructured and semi-structured data, such as social media data, sensor data, and multimedia content, a NoSQL DBMS is ideal. If you need to store complex data structures, such as multimedia content and software applications, an OODBMS is ideal.

- Scalability Requirements

As your business grows, your database will need to scale to accommodate the increased data load. Therefore, it is essential to choose a DBMS that can scale horizontally and vertically. Horizontal scaling involves adding more servers to distribute the workload, while vertical scaling involves upgrading the hardware to increase the capacity of the server. 

Even while your current demand might not seem large, it might increase fast if you acquire and update your data on a regular basis. If so, you require a database system that is not constrained by the amount of data that can be stored on a single computer. 

Consider using a system like [Cassandra](https://cassandra.apache.org/_/index.html), MongoDB, or HBase, which allows you to extend horizontally rather than vertically and disperse data storage over a whole cluster. Also, as the throughput (or the transaction rate) on the system increases, it is not feasible for a single database server to handle a huge number of requests simultaneously, causing an increase in response time. In such cases, the database needs to be migrated to a distributed one, and NoSQL DBMS are preferred for such cases over the [relational databases](https://www.scaler.com/topics/sql/what-is-a-relational-database/).

Cloud storage options excel in situations when boundless storage is required. You may store as much data as you want with object storage services like S3 and GCS since they offer the convenient option of several tiers, which means you pay less for data that is rarely accessed.

- Security Features

Data security is critical for every business. Therefore, it is essential to choose a DBMS that has robust security features. The DBMS should have encryption features, access control mechanisms, and auditing capabilities to ensure that data is secure from unauthorized access.

- Performance

The performance of the DBMS is critical for business operations. Therefore, it is essential to choose a DBMS that can handle the workload efficiently. The DBMS should have features such as indexing, caching, and query optimization to enhance performance.

- Integration with Other Systems

The DBMS should integrate seamlessly with other systems in your business, such as your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, customer relationship management (CRM) system, and other applications. Integration with other systems will enable you to get a complete view of your business data, which can help you make informed decisions. For instance, if you have a large analytics task that is now running on Apache Spark, you might wish to restrict yourself to [external databases](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/database-management/doc/enable-database-management-external-databases.html) that can connect to Apache Spark easily.

- Cost

The cost of the DBMS is another crucial factor to consider. You should consider the upfront cost of the DBMS, as well as the ongoing maintenance and support costs. You should also consider the cost of any additional hardware or software required to run the DBMS. While cost is undoubtedly a consideration in any company spending, it is advisable to base your choice, to the greatest extent possible, on the software's suitability for your needs. 

Choosing a system that you subsequently spend time developing only to realize after the fact that it is inadequate for your purposes might be an expensive error. However, if you don't think you'll use a lot of the capabilities that the most costly programme has to offer, there's no need to buy it.

- Support and Maintenance

The DBMS requires ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that it runs smoothly. Therefore, it is essential to choose a DBMS that has excellent support and maintenance options. The DBMS should have a dedicated support team that can provide assistance when needed. 

Default settings in a DBMS may lead to no security at all, causing anybody to access the data stored in the database. Hence, you might need to select a system that gives expert, paid assistance so they can help you with server setup and administrative selections at first. For help, you can also hire outside administrators.

- Ease of Use

The DBMS should be easy to use, even for non-technical staff. There can be a wide range of users that are supposed to access the system ranging from marketing experts, the IT division, database developers, and others in certain organizations. 

The system should have a user-friendly interface that enables users to perform tasks quickly and easily. Consider the appropriateness from everyone's point of view, and see if you can give various teams or individuals varying levels of authorization. For example, drag-and-drop functionality promotes an easy working technique. 

- Consistency, Availability and Partition Tolerance

A consistent DBMS ensures that any read request will always return the most recent write. A relational database, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, is typically more suited for stringent consistency requirements than a document database, such as MongoDB or CouchDB, especially in multi-datacenter scenarios.

The DBMS should have high availability and disaster recovery features. It should be able to handle system failures, data corruption, and other disasters without losing any data. Partition tolerance refers to the ability of the system to continue running in the face of node or network failures.

According to the CAP theorem, there are inherent trade-offs between these three elements (Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance), therefore it is impossible to attain all the qualities at the best level in a single database. 

Just two of the three options are available at once, and your decision will entirely depend on how you prioritize according to your needs. While non-relational database engines primarily meet AP and CP needs, traditional relational databases are a natural fit for the CA side.

- Compliance Requirements

Depending on your industry, you may have compliance requirements that you need to meet, such as HIPAA for healthcare or PCI DSS for payment processing. Therefore, it is essential to choose a DBMS that can meet these compliance requirements.

## Conclusion
- This article discussed the factors to consider when selecting the right Database Management System (DBMS) for a business. 
- We discussed the importance of having an efficient DBMS that can store, organize, and retrieve data effectively. The right DBMS can enhance business operations, boost productivity, and improve customer experience. 
- Then we briefly discussed the three main types of DBMS: Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), NoSQL Database Management Systems, and Object-Oriented Database Management Systems (OODBMS). However, DBMS can be differentiated based on different aspects like cloud databases, time-series databases, and distributed databases. 
- We discuss the factors to consider when choosing a DBMS, which are the type of data to store, scalability requirements, security features, performance, and integration with other systems. We elaborate on each of these factors and provide examples of DBMS that would be ideal for each factor.