How To Choose An Online Database For Personal Or Business Use

An online database is a database that is accessible from the internet or a local network, rather than stored on a server or computer. Online databases are hosted on websites or via software-as-a-service (SaaS) products on a web browser. By contrast, a cloud database is a database that solely runs on the internet (not a local network). Cloud databases are run by cloud computing platforms and can be accessed anywhere, usually by multiple users at a single time. Regardless of the hosting option, a database is typically conceptualized as a spreadsheet (grid layout) that stores data, whether numerical or qualitative. Though, many websites with substantial, deep resources about a particular topic qualify as a database, too.

Online databases can be used to create database-driven websites, which are web pages that are programmed to pull information directly from an underlying database. If someone updates or changes the information in the database, the web page updates automatically. You can program a database-driven website manually, or use a web application builder to connect your database to a user interface (UI) or other user-friendly web environment — this is an example of a low-code development platform, which is any platform that requires little to no human programming. We’ll look at some products that offer a web app builder later on.

Databases can be used internally to store and track information about an organization or created for an external audience: customers and potential customers or the general public. Typically, there are three different levels of database access:

• Open: These are free databases that are available to anyone on the internet. Note, however, that not all free online databases are open source (where the platform’s source code is available to the public and openly editable). The Listing of Open Access Databases (LOADB) provides a rundown of many of the public databases created by government agencies and research and academic institutions.
• Subscription: These databases are accessible by a subscription fee (typically yearly or monthly). Many scientific or academic journals operate on a subscription basis.
• Private: Private databases are those available to a strict, pre-determined audience. Some private databases run on a subscription model, but many options are free and simply require login credentials or designated access. Examples include a company’s internal resources or a personal database.

The Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) of the National Archives offers a comprehensive list of public and subscription-based online databases, including governmental, academic, and scientific databases.