3. Database examples

Police database

The police use various databases to help them track criminals and solve crimes.
They are able to look for trends or patterns in crimes and this helps them to establish whether a person could be responsible for a series of burglaries or assaults that have been taking place.

They are able to co-operate with other police forces and share their information.

Library database

A library stores details of all their books in a database. When you want to know if a book is in stock you can enter either the title, author or ISBN number and search for information about the book. You can find out how many copies are stored not only by your local library but also libraries in neighbouring towns. You can check when the book is due to be returned and also reserve it.

The database also records details of all the borrowers, what books they currently have out on loan and when they are due back. When they return their books the librarian will be informed if they are overdue and whether there are any fines outstanding.