Data Management Software

Overview One of the most common tasks people use computers for is to manage information. Whether it's to maintain an address book, create an electronic calendar, or track the inventory of a retail store, people use data management software to automate and simplify otherwise difficult tasks. Even organizing files on your computer requires file management software such as Windows Explorer. Information manager software helps with more personal tasks, like maintaining a to-do list and your address book. If your data management needs involve analyzing and organizing complex sets of data, then database management software might be the best tool for the job. Computer users have access to hundreds of software titles from which to choose--from task-specific applications, to complex and flexible data management programs. For a better understanding of the selection of data management software available, follow this link. Here you will find links to companies that design, develop, market, and support data management software. 

File Management Software Most new PCs include file management software pre-installed on the hard drive. For Microsoft Windows and Mac users alike, there are many alternative file management utilities available commercially and as freeware. Visit this Google directory page for a list of file management software available on-line for both Mac and Windows platforms. Another index of file management utilities for both Windows and Macs can be found at dmoz.org. Freeware and shareware versions can be downloaded here.

Personal Information Manager Software Information management software is a powerful tool for organizing and viewing your personal information. This type of software is designed to perform tasks ranging from creating a simple to-do list or address book, to managing "address books" consisting of many thousand names and addresses. PDAs are computers specifically designed to manage personal information. Read the PDA InfoWeb for more information by clicking this link: www.infoweblinks.com/content/pda.htm. One popular personal information manager is called AZZ Cardfile. You can read more about it at this link. Besides providing information, free software downloads, and support, this page also lists links to other PIM resources. Visit www.isbister.com/chaos32.html to read about a “professional time management” program for Windows. Here you’ll find software downloads, user’s guides, plug-ins, and support. Although most personal information managers provide a customizable user interface, they still require a structured system for maintaining files. For a truly flexible personal information manager, visit www.projectkickstart.com. 

Database Management Software Managing large amounts of data on a computer is the task that database management software (DBMS) performs. DBMSs allows you to view, manipulate, and form relationships with your data. Visit the site dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Databases for a long list of links to database software available for use on most operating systems. Different DBMSs use different methods of organizing and modeling data. The most popular is the relational model, but object-oriented models are also available. You can read more about object-oriented database management software (OODBMSs) at this page. Here you’ll find an in-depth article about the uses, features, and history of OODBMSs. Visit http://office.microsoft.com/ to read about Microsoft Access, a popular relational DBMS included with most versions of the Microsoft Office suite. Finally, information and links for many Macintosh DBMSs can be found at www.pure-mac.com or www.filemaker.com. 

Additional Links Data management software can be used to perform highly specialized and specific tasks. Some of this software includes templates for recording, viewing, manipulating, and printing business or other activity-specific data. This specialized software can be customized for a wide range of tasks, from restaurant or store record keeping, to tracking your collection of casino chips and tokens. For examples of this type of data management software, visit www.recordkeeper.com.