Think fast

8 Microsoft Access Alternatives

For a lot of businesses, finding a suitable Microsoft Access alternative for their needs is becoming pretty urgent. See, Access has been rumored to be reaching its end-of-life for a few years now - although Microsoft hasn’t unveiled any formal plans for a retirement party. Even so, in 2023, Access feels like a bit of a product of a bygone era. Not to be outwardly critical, but in the age of cloud computing, low-code development, DBaaS tools, and even AI, it’s tough for legacy platforms to keep up with the needs of modern businesses.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 29, 2023

What is a Transactional Database?

Transactional databases are some of the most foundational and ubiquitous tools around. In fact, for countless IT teams, this is the default model for data storage. But, in recent years, the size, scale, and complexity of businesses’ data assets have exploded. In turn, it’s become more important than ever to choose the right data management tools for specific applications and use cases. This means that we need to have a realistic, clear grasp of the respective pros, cons, and core tenets of different models - including transactional systems.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 29, 2023

What is a Wide-Column Database?

Wide-column databases are one of the most important types of NoSQL data storage solutions. Countless businesses use them every day, especially in analytics and big data workflows. But, if you go searching for a clear, concise definition, there’s a good chance you’re going to be left disappointed. Unless you like technical marketing jargon. Today, we’re filling that gap. Specifically, we’re diving deep into everything you need to know about wide-column databases - including what they are, how they work, what they’re used for, and how they fit into the bigger picture of the data management landscape.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 19, 2023

What are Database Connections?

Database connections are some of the most fundamental aspects of any development, data, or digital transformation project. But despite this, they don’t really get all that much attention. Obviously, this is a pretty major oversight. See, how you manage different tools’ and solutions’ connections to your data assets has a direct impact on everything from internal development experiences and project costs to database performance and the quality of your eventual solutions.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 5, 2023

CRUD vs REST | What’s the Difference?

Wrapping your head around CRUD vs REST means getting to grips with some of the most fundamental concepts of modern application development. However, when we talk about this - we’re not exactly comparing like with like. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of confusion arises. See, REST and CRUD are two acronyms that relate to how we access and manage data. But, they differ greatly in terms of what they actually refer to and how they apply.

Ronan McQuillan

Aug 29, 2023

What is Unstructured Data Management?

Managing unstructured data is becoming an increasingly important challenge for companies of all sizes. See, the types of information that business store - and the way they handle it - has changed massively over the past couple of decades. A huge part of this has been the simultaneous rise of big data, NoSQL, and cloud storage solutions. In sum, this means that there’s a greater need for unstructured data management than ever before.

Ronan McQuillan

Aug 3, 2023

Top 10 Data Transformation Tools

Selecting the right data transformation tools is a critical decision - with far-reaching consequences. Nowadays, the idea that data is your business’s most valuable asset is a bit of a cliche. The real challenge is getting this data in the hands of the right people, with the right tools, in a usable form. This is especially tricky in a context where we’re increasingly dealing with diverse, varied, and large-scale data sets.

Ronan McQuillan

Jul 21, 2023

Workflow Management Database Design

Today we’re going to guide you through exactly how to create a workflow management database design - from scratch. This can form the basis of all sorts of solutions - including workflow management tools, approval apps, automated solutions - and a whole raft of other internal tools. See, most internal tasks and processes aren’t that complicated. In fact, most management or administrative tasks can be expressed as chains of requests and decisions.

Ronan McQuillan

Jul 21, 2023