For every ecommerce business, it is necessary to have an online store where they sell their products to the consumers all over the world. For this purpose, they need to make a reliable e commerce website. To create a secure website, you need good database software. When deciding on which database software will be right for your ecommerce business you’ll need to consider many factors like cost-of-operation, scalability and compatibility with other platforms.
Have you ever dreamed of setting up a successful online business? Do you want to impress your customers by offering state-of-the-art and user-friendly website that lets them purchase the goods they are seeking with a single click? If yes, then the Best Database Software for an Ecommerce Website is undoubtedly the best tool for you from all aspects.
The Ecommerce Website Database is a very important part to making your eCommerce website. There are two things that will decide how well your website will perform. These two elements are the website design and the database in which you host the site. You want to make sure that you get the best possible database for your internet ecommerce site.
A good database for e commerce site is one that can run the whole business smoothly and effectively. Keeping a customer record in an organized way will be of great importance. Therefore, you need to pick the best database software for your business—one which is safe and reliable but at an affordable cost.
Relational Databases
A relational database is similar to a set of spreadsheets. Each spreadsheet has columns and rows of data.
Databases are similar to spreadsheets, except the rows and columns are called tables. But, unlike spreadsheets, in a relational database the data can, well, relate to other data.
For example, a relational database for an ecommerce store can have a table of customers and, separately, a table of orders. In the orders table, there is a relationship to customers, so that each order relates to a single customer. This relationship is expressed in the form of a simple data element that points to the specific customer row.
In a relational database, you only have to update information in one place instead of multiple locations.
The benefit of this is that when the customer data changes, you only have to update one piece of data. For example, if a customer obtains a new email address, you only have to update the one row in the customer table and not all of the rows in the orders table. All orders for that customer automatically relate to the new email address.
Relational databases work well for transactions and non-product content. They also work for most parts of product catalogs, which can be difficult to design when there are a large number of combinations, such as multiple colors and sizes. (Given the popularity of relational databases, however, they are no longer difficult to use, as there are many product-catalog solutions.)
Common relational databases include PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle.
Document and Key/Value Databases
Each unique item in a document database is assigned a “key” that is used as an identifier.
A second type of database is a document or key/value. Document and key/value databases are technically different, but for purposes of this article, I’ll group them together and call them, simply, “document databases.”
Document databases are straightforward. Picture a directory on your computer full of different types of files. Each file has a unique name and contains unique data.
Document databases work on this model. Each piece of data is given a name, called a “key.” That key is used to find and retrieve that data. You can define different types of data, much in the same way your computer has different types of files. A ecommerce store, for example, has order, customer, and page types.
With document databases, you can design what types of data to include. This makes document databases flexible and powerful
This flexibility can be difficult to manage, though. If you need to change how the data is stored, you could end up having to update every piece of data in the database. Thus, document databases usually require long-term thinking when deciding how to structure and store the data.
Document databases work well for product catalogs and non-product content, such as blog posts and “about us” pages. Ecommerce transactions are not ideally suited for document databases, however. Relational databases work much better for transactional data.
MongoDB, CouchDB, and Redis are examples of document databases that are used by stores.
Cloud Databases
Cloud databases are more recent. They are not a true database type, but more of hosting process.
Cloud databases are hosted by a third party, typically at a very large scale. This can benefit an ecommerce storeowner, as she will not have to worry about hosting or growing the database as the store grows.
But cloud databases have risks. For one, a storeowner must ensure that the third party is trustworthy since it is holding your company and customer data. A storeowner should also make sure that the host is a viable business and will be around as long as the store is.
An interesting thing about cloud databases is that they can mix and match multiple database types — pure relational databases, pure document databases, and features from both to create something unique. Cloud databases can therefore work for all types of ecommerce data.
Amazon Web Services, for example, offers cloud databases. It has a Relational Database Service and, also, DynamoDB, a document database.
What is the Best Database Software?
Knack
Knack was founded in 2010 and is the easiest online database tool I’ve come across.
They’re a SaaS-based online tool that allows their users to easily structure, connect, and extend data with no coding required.
Knack has an impressive customer base, including Intel, Capital One, HP, Spotify, Panasonic, Zendesk, Honda, Harvard University, and many others.
To use Knack, you start by structuring your data with the main columns that you need – including things like name, email, address, phone number, and any number of custom categories.
Next, you connect your data by integrating it with different systems. They boast a powerful API that integrates with a lot of popular tools like Zapier, extending its functionality:
Finally, you extend your data and make it more useful with custom formulas and equations. And all of this is done in a simple web-based interface with no deep coding knowledge required.
Knack also features 39 pre-created database templates to choose from based on organization type or features.
For example, if you’re an agency, there’s a custom CRM template where you can manage customers, and assign tasks and meetings to generate sales.
If you’re a large enterprise, there are database templates to do everything from project management to managing purchase orders, inventory, payroll, and even adding job listings on your website.
With this much functionality in one simple piece of software, you’re able to save a lot of money between interdepartmental teams that may be using 4-5 different tools to do all of this.
Pricing:
Knack has three main pricing plans starting at $39/month up to $179/month.
- Their Starter Plan at $39/month gives you up to 20,000 records, 2 GB of storage, and 3 app connections
- The Pro Plan at $79/month provides 50,000 records, 10 GB of storage, and 8 app connections
- Finally, their Corporate Plan is very popular and gives you 125,000 records, 50 GB of storage, 25 app connections, and premier, white-glove support
- They also offer custom enterprise plans called Plus 1, Plus 2, and Plus 3 which vastly increase the database. For example, with the Plus 3 plan at $999/month, you get 1.5 million records.
The best strategy is to simply choose your plan based on how many records you need in your database.
Overall, Knack is a fantastic online tool that is changing how we think about managing data online.
They offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Improvado
Improvado is a popular database software tool that can help you aggregate all the marketing data for small and large enterprises in real-time. It is a flexible and scalable marketing middleware solution.
Key Features:
- Integration: It offers integration with numerous third-party tools, including Google Adwords, Excel, Facebook, Tableaus, Twitter, Salesforce, MailChimp, BigQuery, among others.
- Reporting: It has a robust reporting mechanism and reduces manual reporting by over 90 percent.
- Data Visualization: Easily extract and send all data sets to visualization tools, including Google Data Studio, Looker, Tableau, and Google Sheets, among others. It is also equipped with an intuitive dashboard.
- Cost-Effective: With Improvado, you don’t need SQL experts to understand its functionality; hence, hiring a developer is not required.
Pros:
- Ability to migrate your data and duplicate the online database instantly
- Side-by-side comparison of metrics for quicker business decision making
- Real-time integration of data models amid live connection on a dedicated database server
- Robust customer support from the highly trained and experienced engineering team
- Clean user interface and navigation control
- Constant access to regular statuses and updates on multiple projects
- Error-free and insightful data analytics
- Backup software and data recovery option for users
- Well planned and clean database documentation
Cons:
- The database often excludes the latest entries during the analytical comparison.
Pricing:
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is one of the most effective and sought after database software.
This relational DBMS server is perfect for storing and retrieving multiple requests at once.
Key Features:
- Excellent Performance: Turns raw data into actionable insights that can be delivered on any platform or device.
- Free Trial: The developer and express versions of the Microsoft SQL server is available free of cost
- Improved Query Processing: It now leverages adaptive query processing features to enhance query performance in SQL database and SQL server
- Automatic Plan Correction: Fixes SQL plan performance issues by identifying problematic query execution
Pros:
- Easier to set up a brand new database server from the start
- Capability to create several tables, designs, and view data without syntax
- Leverage Developer Network Feature to develop advanced queries
- Handles complex queries and integrate with other programs
- Identifies numerous names in the database system through Template Explorer
- Combines scripts and views of linked objects or groups
- Advanced querying and easy management of distributed databases
- More advanced software than Microsoft Access
Cons:
- Long query execution often takes longer than the expected calculated time
- Data maintenance is cumbersome with a selective schema
Pricing:
The “Express” and “Developer” versions are available free of cost. The paid plans start at $931 and range up to $14,256 (one-time cost).
Marketing 360?
Marketing 360 is a technology company that provides business management and marketing software and services for SMBs and franchises. The Marketing 360 platform gives SMBs everything they need to manage and grow their business from a singular platform, including the ability to — build a professional website, accept and manage payments, manage leads and customers, book appointments, monitor reviews, manage social media, syndicate business listings, manage content marketing, run multi-channel digital advertising campaigns, and more. Marketing 360 was founded in 2009 with the mission of enriching communities by helping small businesses grow, and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, with offices in Austin, Texas.
Key benefits of using Marketing 360
Singular platform
Payments
Scheduling & Booking
Invoice
Modern Websites
Typical customersFreelancersSmall businessesMid size businessesLarge enterprises
Platforms supportedWebAndroidiPhone/iPad
Support optionsPhone SupportEmail/Help DeskChatKnowledge Base
Training optionsWebinarsLive OnlineDocumentationIn PersonVideos
Conclusion
In a business world, having access to data is crucial for any type of business. You’d need the data from the past records to help you forecast the future trends and needs of this business. You’d also want to store credit card details, information about products and services or even customer details for your business. For these reasons and many more, it is important that you know what is ecommerce database software before buying a new technology that can help you manage your online business better.
A good database software for ecommerce website will allow you to easily update product information and customer details from one central location. With a good ecommerce database software, you can also engage data from external applications such as, accounting software, shipping and warehouse management programs.