History of Database Technology Past and PresentThe term database was popularized with the growth of the computer industry and is generally considered to be software used to store, index, manipulate and retrieve information (Vaughn). Database software has been in use since the Census Bureau used a punch card system to meet data collection, sorting, and reporting requirements for the 1890 Census (National Research Council). These first databases were flat file databases. The flat file database style works well for small amounts of data that needs to be organized to be read and edited by hand. Flat file databases consist of tables that store a set number of characters in each field. Individual tables are not linked and are difficult to search and navigate. In order to view a particular record in a flat file database, the end user would have to sequentially go through all the records that preceded it. Additionally, the system itself does not detect when a file is used or modified. Therefore, if two or more users access data simultaneously, it is possible for a piece of data to be erased by multiple processes fighting to save new data at the same time. Although flat file databases are still used today, they are not commonly used to store large amounts of compact data, due to the propensity for data corruption and the inherent difficulties in accessing the records (Wise). In 1970, Edgar Codd wrote several papers describing, in theory, a new approach to database construction that would use a table of records and a unique identifier called a ¡§key¡¨ to search for associated records in the table. Codd demonstrated that such a system could deliver data sets in a single operation without the need for the end-user navigation required by earlier flat file models. Codd's theory resulted in the introduction of relational database management systems. Relational databases organize information into multiple linked tables and include built-in functions that allow them to retrieve, sort, and modify data in many ways. Instead of duplicating records in each table, data can be stored in a single table and simply linked to other tables that may use it. Additionally, the speed of data retrieval is increased by the ability of a relational system to access any of the related tables with a single connection instead of requiring multiple tables to be opened for data retrieval ( Wise).