Database vs File system

Why they differ

A file system stores whole files by name; a database stores records it understands, so it can search them and keep many changes in step.

Database

Web & data

An organised store of data that many programs and users can search, add to and change at the same time without mixing it up.

Formal

A structured collection of data run by a database management system, which lets programs look up, insert, update and delete records through a query language such as SQL while keeping the data correct when many changes happen at once.

In plain English

Like a well-run warehouse with a stock list - every item has a fixed place and a line in the list, so staff can find, add or move goods in seconds, and two clerks never undo each other's changes.

In practice

When a customer orders from a Danish web shop, the web application writes the order, the address and the new stock count to the database as one step, so a crash halfway never leaves half an order.

Why it matters

The database is often where an organisation's most valuable data lives, so who can reach it and what they may ask of it decides how bad a breach can be.

File system

Operating systems

The way an operating system organises stored data into files and folders and keeps track of who may use each one.

Formal

The part of the operating system that arranges data on a storage device into named files inside folders, and records for each file details such as its owner, its size, when it last changed and who may read or change it.

In plain English

Like a filing cabinet with labelled drawers and folders, where each folder carries a note saying who owns it and who may take it out.

In practice

A municipality's shared drive holds a folder for HR. The file system lets the HR staff open it, while a case officer who clicks on it gets 'access denied'.

Why it matters

Most of an organisation's sensitive data sits in files, so the file system's permissions are often the last barrier between that data and a data breach.