Database Design for Non-IT People

As a member of the Quality Assurance Team and a member auditor of our Internal Audit Committee (both of which are component entities of our Quality Management System), I observed that there are a lot of offices which maintain some form of database. And that is good.

However, as someone who was trained in database systems (however, this is by no means saying that I am an expert on the subject), I also observed that their databases are mostly 'designed' to respond to only one particular concern, which is storage of data and ensuring that they can find a particular type or instance of data for each particular record.

That in itself is not a bad thing, however, I find myself wishing that they would enhance their database so that it can be more robust, more flexible, and has opportunity for scaling up and integration.

Some of the staff who thought of creating an electronic database used Excel, a powerful spreadsheet application, are conversant with advanced knowledge of the application, which means they know more than simply typing values there and using basic arithmetic formulas using absolute and relative references.  However, choosing Excel, or other spreadsheet application like LibreOffice Sheets, to use as a database management system is an indication that the choice did not consider the long-term opportunities of making other management decisions using the same existing data by merely organizing the data properly.

Still, I think that advanced skills in spreadsheet applications is an indicator that they can easily understand the basic concepts of database management.

Considering, this, I really want to share what I know about database management to these people so that they can be more conversant opportunities in proper database design so that they can easily find the information and knowledge they want from the data already in their computers and files.

I might post some future articles on the matter so that they may be able to read it, in case they want to learn and we just don't have the time to do it during office hours.