Moving Beyond Spreadsheets

This lesson discusses some of the fundamental concepts of data management and looks at the differences between spreadsheets and databases for managing data. We'll look at some specific examples to understand when spreadsheets makes sense and when it makes sense to switch over to a database, which is sometimes a much better option for more complex datasets. 

Specifically, this lesson aims to give students a practical hands-on introduction to database concepts. In addition, we'll gain an understanding of how to select the right database and we'll go through the basics of setting up an RDS instance on Amazon. This lesson includes a practical example of a company that is looking to choose a database, to give you an understanding of how databases work in the real world.

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the difference between spreadsheets and databases and when to use one or the other
• Learn about the different types of database available and the various features and characteristics to consider
• Learn how to choose the right database
• Learn how to deploy an Amazon Aurora instance

Intended Audience

This lesson is designed for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of databases and understand when it makes sense to use them as opposed to a spreadsheet.

Prerequisites

To get the most out of this lesson, you should already have a basic understanding of simple data structures such as comma-separated values, as well as an understanding of cloud concepts in general.