Examples of Database Use in the
Workplace
MGS 351
Questions
• Do you know what a database is?
• What is the difference between a database
and a spreadsheet?
• How many of you think you will use databases
in your future careers?
• What’s the point of using databases?
Database Examples
• Customer data tracking by demographics
– Example: Tops “Bonus Card”
• Need to know how databases work to propose
systems like this in the workplace
• To improve any process in the workplace
– http://www.dbaoracle.com/oracle11g/sf_Oracle_11g_Database_Managem
ent_for_Business_Intelligence.html
– http://www.ehow.com/about_5447556_databases-usedreal-world.html
• Banks, Stores, Phone Companies, Electric
Utility Companies, Internet Service Providers
– Track transactions, inventory, current prices,
usage, billing & customer information, payments,
questions and answers, etc.
– Applies to concentrations:
• General Management
• Supply Chain & Operations
• MIS
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Finance
– http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Could_anyone_List_10_places
_that_databases_are_used
Why Do I Have to Take This Class?
• You need to know how to input information in a
database
• You need to know where to input information in a
database
• You need to know what database design is
capable of
– Coming up with an idea at your company that no one
else has ever thought of
– This idea may not already exist at the company due to
a lack of knowledge of what databases are capable of
or how to use one
Where You May Use
Databases in the Future
Marketing
• Companies are “data rich and information
poor”
– Need for more employees that can turn data into
information
– Understanding of how databases work and
generation of queries and reports is extremely
useful
– Ex. Consumer data
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_marketing
Others Concentrations
• Accounting
– Need for customer & company billing and purchasing
transactions, inventory costs, etc.
• Stored in databases, reports will need to be generated
• Finance
– Using database data for forecasting
• Supply Chain
– Inventory management, purchases, shipment
information, etc.
• Examples ORACLE SAP database most commonly used.
• MIS
– Choosing, Customizing, Training, & Maintaining
Company Databases
Real-Life Example
• If you want to become some type of analyst (like
financial or data analysts):
– access is widely used
– “I didn't realize until I went for the Blue Cross Blue
Shield interview and the analysts there all said that
they all use Microsoft Access”
– MGS 351 Teaching Assistant
– And with the amount of data they (the company)
carry they said it's easier to just run a query to get the
numbers they need. They did say that they learned a
little SQL after learning access just to get a more
rounded knowledge of the program.
Please Keep in Mind:
• Database knowledge is transferrable across
many database programs
– Microsoft Access database fundamentals are
taught in this class
– But Access fundamentals apply to most other
databases