LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 3

Information management, retrieval, and archiving all depend on databases. Developing an e-commerce
system requires them as well. E-commerce is supported by a well-structured database that controls all
system interactions (Wickramasinghe, 2022). Sites that are powered by databases are referred to as
"Cloud databases" or "Database-backed" sites. Some examples of database structure for e-commerce
includes:

Simple/Functional database design: The user experience is not compromised by the database table
structure's simplicity because it provides all the necessary capabilities.

High performance: Database searches run swiftly to provide frictionless shopping and live consumer
interactions. As a result, the chosen database should offer effective alternatives for speed improvement.

High availability and scalability: A smart database architecture supports future platform development
as well as unforeseen traffic surges by automatically taking snapshots and enabling automated scaling.

SOME FUNCTIONS OF DATABASE TO E-COMMERCE

1. Product Details
Databases aid e-commerce platforms in maintaining and holding product information. This can
contain precise information about the products, such as their pricing, features, and references,
as well as any current sales and specials. By universally maintaining all pages up-to-date with the
same information, updating this information through your database prevents you from editing
and posting new data to each unique site page.
2. Customer Details
The ability to keep and analyse consumer data is crucial for e-commerce websites. Databases
may be used to store information such as names, contact information, shopping habits, and
more for future marketing purposes.
3. Transactional Details
One of the most crucial tasks a database can do for an e-commerce site is tracking and
managing transactions. The key to keeping the business running is keeping track of every order
in an organised manner along the sales funnel, along with the necessary processing information.
After every transaction, the database assists in keeping the inventory current by recording
information about what is in or out of stock, billing, shipping statuses, purchase orders, and
more.
4. Establishes Structure
The adding of structure to enormous volumes of store data is one of the main advantages of
utilising a database for e-commerce.

Recently, I went to Lazada Lazada.com.my: Best Online Shopping in Malaysia and I was amazed by how
organised, well-coordinated, and simple to use the site was. The most intriguing feature of this website
is that it saves any product you browse through; the next time you log in, the product you were
browsing the previous time will be suggested to you, and you can simply continue from where you left
off. Once a product is clicked, the product detail page is retrieved from the database.
Conclusion

A successful and effective e-commerce site needs databases. Databases allow to digitally store and
manage crucial data, regardless matter whether you run a small business with little data or a large
retailer with millions of goods. It would be impracticable to not use a database when there is so much
information that has to be processed.

Reference

Wickramasinghe, S. (2022, July 26). What's an example of good e-commerce database design? fabric.
Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://fabric.inc/blog/ecommerce-database-design-
example/