DATABASE DEFINITION

A database is a set of data that has a regular structure and that is organized in such a way that a
computer can easily find the desired information.

Data is a collection of distinct pieces of information, particularly information that has been
formatted (i.e., organized) in some specific way for use in analysis or making decisions.

A database can generally be looked at as being a collection of records, each of which contains one
or more fields (i.e., pieces of data) about some entity (i.e., object), such as a person, organization,
city, product, work of art, recipe, chemical, or sequence of DNA. For example, the fields for a
database that is about people who work for a specific company might include the name, employee
identification number, address, telephone number, date employment started, position and salary for
each worker.

Żródło: http://blog.nskinc.com/it-services-boston/databases-the-underlying-it-business-solution

Nearly all e-commerce sites uses databases to store product inventory and customer information.
These sites use a database management system (or DBMS), such as Microsoft Access, FileMaker
Pro, or MySQL as the "back end" to the website. By storing website data in a database, the data can
be easily searched, sorted, and updated. This flexibility is important for e-commerce sites and other
types of dynamic websites.
 DATABASE IN A CLOUD

Database as a Service (DBaaS) is a cloud-based approach to the storage and management of

structured data.

DBaaS delivers database functionality similar to what is found in relational database management
systems (RDBMSes) such as SQL Server, MySQL and Oracle. Being cloud-based, on the other
hand, DBaaS provides a flexible, scalable, on-demand platform that's oriented toward self-service
and easy management, particularly in terms of provisioning a business' own environment. DBaaS
products typically provide enough monitoring capabilities to track performance and usage and to
alert users to potential issues. The products can also generate at least some degree of data analytics.

Disadvantages to the DBaaS model include a lack of control over network performance issues, such
as unacceptable latency and application failures. Furthermore, some DBaaS products don't support
capabilities of the typical RDBMS, such as data compression and table partitions. Before
committing to DBaaS, it's essential to assess your specific requirements and ensure they are
satisfactorily addressed.

DBaaS is one of a growing number of examples of cloud-based services including Platform as a

Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Databases
that are administrated through this model are sometimes referred to as cloud databases.

Źródła:
http://www.linfo.org/database.html
http://techterms.com/definition/database
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Database-as-a-Service-DBaaS