This is Gigabit Goon Squad captain Luis reporting in for database week 1 intel briefing.
While spreadsheets can hold data, it is an older form of database named "file" database compared to our modern relational database used in SQL. This means that in relational databases, data is more securely protected and also the system ensures that data is more consistent by using constraints. Another big difference is that relational databases are designed with concurrency in mind, meaning it can be used by many people at the same time without having nearly as many errors as a spreadsheet or file database would. For a very small business, a spreadsheet might work but not for big companies such as google or tesla. Yet another big difference is that spreadsheets are far more prone to data redundancy, and relationships in relational databases mean they are far more organized and efficient.
The main reasons for learning to a database is not only for the above, but also that if one wishes to create their own database or work for a data centered company in the future, an understanding of how databases function is absolutely important. For instance, if one were to encounter an error, they may not know how to address it without knowing the appropriate mechanism at fault. Also, a good programmer should be well versed in a variety of subjects, and databases are no exception.
In particular for this course, CST 363, I believe that learning how to work with databases in Java or python would be great, especially since data science is a booming field. Knowing the fundamentals of database interactions with regular programming languages would surely help all students to grow professionally.
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