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• Databases can store very large numbers of records efficiently (they take up little space).
• It is very quick and easy to find information.
• It’s possible to add new data and edit or delete old data quicker.
• It’s possible to find data you are looking for quicker, for example a 'Ford car'.
• It’s possible to sort data faster, for example by 'date registered'.
• Data can be imported into other applications, for example a mail-merge letter to a customer saying that an MOT test is due.
• More than one person can access the same database at the same time - multi-access.
• Security may be better than in paper files.

Database uses

When a database holds details about people, it's likely to include their first name, surname and their date of birth. In addition to this, specialist information is stored depending on the database's intended use.

Organisations use databases for a variety of reasons:

• the police have details of all known criminals in a database, eg crimes they've comitted
• schools use a database to store details about their pupils, eg how many days they've been off school sick
• a hospital will store details of all its patients in a database, eg a history of their health issues
• the Government uses a database to store records of people's income tax payments
• a database is used to keep track of all the drivers in central London who have (or haven't) paid the Congestion Charge

In the case of the Congestion Charge database, if someone hasn't paid the congestion charge, a fine will be issued. The database would play an integral part in automating the process.

Information stored in the other databases listed could be used in similar ways.