Reflection

Through this 3 week maymester class, I have learned many concepts pertaining to databases.  This course has expanded my mind to using databases for everyday business.  At the beginning of the class I didnt believe that databases were used much in business since I hadnt been exposed to them, but now I believe that every business should use databases. I have not only learned how to create a relational diagram, but have learned about Access and all it has to offer for database design.  Now that I know how to create databases on Access it would be wise for me to keep track of my pottery business using this Microsoft software.  I really thought the Standford sources we used in the class was very helpful to learning about databases. Id like to learn more from this source since it touches on information beyond what we have learned so far; go further into detail.  

What Iv learned so far

The most important concept ive learned is the relational model which has tought me about entities, relationships, keys, and cardinalities.  With this model i have learned that every piece of your information has a relation to one another.  I have also learned that there are many types of relations; many to many, one to many, etc, which shows the type of relation one table of data will have to another set of data.  I didnt realize this before entering into the database design class, but now it is possible for me to see each relationship connection between information.  Another concept that I have developed skills for is how to use Access.  Before this class I didnt even know it existed, which isnt the best thing since im a business major.  Access helps me to organize my data neatly and correctly since it leaves no room for error.  It has made it very easy for me to make relation tables and clearly see the connections between each relation.

Many business people use databases to keep track of their employees, orders, or items for their business.  Learning these relational tools and models will give me some basic skills for going into business.  Also, since I sell my own pottery using Access with database design might help me keep track of my sales.  Honestly I would like to learn more about excel too since its a very common database system for any kind of business.  Having skills in these types of software will help me grow in the business world.