Chapter 4: Databases
Databases play a major technological role in data preprocessing and data analytics. However, time and again, I have seen plenty of misunderstandings surrounding their role in analytics. While it is possible to do simple analytics and data preprocessing using databases themselves, these tasks are not what databases are designed for. In contrast, databases are technological solutions to record and retrieve data effectively and efficiently.
In this chapter, we will first discuss the technological role of databases in effective analytics and preprocessing. We will then enumerate and understand the different types of databases. Finally, we will cover five different methods of connecting to, and pulling data from, databases.
The following topics will be covered in this chapter:
- What is a database?
- Types of databases
- Connecting to, and pulling data from, databases
