Database maintenance means ensuring that the database is in a readable and secure state and that it is working correctly. A well-maintained database is easy to use, secure, and convenient: it retrieves necessary data quickly, saves them without changes except those implemented, and classifies information based on its properties. Important concepts connected with a database’s maintenance are query and filter. A query is, basically, a request sent to a database to obtain some data stored in it or change them in case of permission. A filter is a mechanism to select only those data which are necessary, based on their labels.
Various issues may emerge when maintaining a database: three are described here. First, there is better if the database has backup and version control functions (Zhang & Butrovich, 2021). Databases usually insert or delete new elements, or the database’s owner can make it manually. Such a function is critical in the case of keeping sensitive or important information. For example, if the website’s database keeps passwords that were accidentally deleted or replaced, it can lead to substantial losses if the database has no version control function. A second important point is the necessity of appropriate, apparent, and concise structure and labels (Zhang & Butrovich, 2021). As mentioned, database filters enable selecting only those database elements demanded for a current moment. For example, a clear structure of commodities’ types and destinations in an online store database should be present. A client will not easily choose and order the necessary item in other cases. A third important activity in database maintenance is regularly making checks, such as security or data errors, to ensure that the database works properly and will not fall down.
Thus, a query should be used to access or change a particular element of a database and a filter to access a set of elements based on their labels. In addition, as one can see, not all elements of a database are equally easily accessed or manipulated, and it depends on their settings. If a particular element should have a certain format, such as an email address, or number in a defined range, it will be accepted only if it has this format, which is a validation rule. For example, if the database accepts only integers from 1 to 5, which resemble the grade for some product, it will reject any non-integer or number more than five or less than one.
Reference
Zhang, L., & Butrovich, M. (2021). Unifying logical concurrency control and physical data structure maintenance in database management systems. Conference on Innovative Data Systems Research, 1–6.