| Database
hosting is where a server that stores and manages databases
is located off site at a hosting company. The hosting
company provides access to the Internet and leases the
use of the database hosting server.
Database
Hosting Expertise
The
Internet has substantially increased the demand for
database hosting as more companies look to make their
databases available to customers, vendors and employees.
This also requires that the database be available 24/7
so the choice of database hosting provider is critical
as well. Unfortunately trying to find a database hosting
provider that is qualified is difficult.
Critical
Database Hosting Issues
It
is very important you get the database server configured
correctly the first time. This configuration will determine
how well the database performs, how secure the data
remains, how easy it will be to increase the throughput,
and how easy it will be to back-up. To achieve this,
your database hosting provider must be familiar with
the requirements of your database program. Many hosting
providers are familiar with web hosting, but have little
experience with database hosting, particularly in complex
clusters. A database is much more dynamic than a web
site and the security of the data is much more important,
so your database hosting provider must be technically
skilled.
There
can be great value to having a database available on
the Internet, but only if your database hosting provider
can properly configure and maintain it.
Database
Management
Complete
database management involves both a computer program
that allows multiple users to utilize a database simultaneously
and technical resources to configure and maintain the
database server.
Database
Management System
The
computer program that provides database management is
typically called a database management system. A database
management system allows multiple users to access and
modify the data in a database. The database management
system keeps track of where the data is physically located
on the storage media, who has security clearance to
access or modify it, how to grant simultaneous access,
and what relationships have been established within
the data. There are numerous database management systems
from which to choose, including Oracle, MySQL, MS SQL,
PostgreSQL, DB2, and Sybase programs. Database management
systems are typically designed to work with a specific
operating system, such as Linux and UNIX or Windows.
Database
Management Issues
Database
management also requires skilled technical resources
to configure and maintain the database server on which
the database resides. This requirement of database management
is often overlooked by companies to their detriment.
This management must be provided, whether by internal
IT resources, a database management provider, or a hosting
company with database expertise. It is expensive to
develop a database and that investment can be wasted
without the proper maintenance. A database is very dynamic
and without database management the performance of the
database will degrade overtime. It also is important
to configure the database server correctly at the start
to achieve peak performance, allow for easy scalability,
simplify backups and permit efficient database management. |
