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Data access is a generic term referring to a process which has both an IT-specific meaning and other connotations involving access rights in a broader legal and/or political sense. In the former it typically refers to software and activities related to storing, retrieving, or acting on data housed in a database or other repository.
Details
Two fundamental types of data access exist:
- sequential access (as in magnetic tape, for example)
- random access (as in indexed media)
Data access crucially involves authorization to access different data repositories. Data access can help distinguish the abilities of administrators and users. For example, administrators may have the ability to remove, edit and add data, while general users may not even have "read" rights if they lack access to particular information.
Historically, each repository (including each different database, file system, etc.), might require the use of different methods and languages, and many of these repositories stored their content in different and incompatible formats.
Over the years standardized languages, methods, and formats, have developed to serve as interfaces between the often proprietary, and always idiosyncratic, specific languages and methods. Such standards include SQL (1974- ), ODBC (ca 1990- ), JDBC, XQJ, ADO.NET, XML, XQuery, XPath (1999- ), and Web Services.
Some of these standards enable translation of data from unstructured (such as HTML or free-text files) to structured (such as XML or SQL).
Structures such as connection strings and DBURLs can attempt to standardise methods of connecting to databases.
See also
- Right of access to personal data
- Data access object
- Data access layer
References
- "Connecting to Oracle Database in Java". Retrieved 2014-07-18.
DBURL is of the form [...] jdbc:oracle:thin:@machinename:1521:databasename [...]
This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Data access news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message Data access is a generic term referring to a process which has both an IT specific meaning and other connotations involving access rights in a broader legal and or political sense In the former it typically refers to software and activities related to storing retrieving or acting on data housed in a database or other repository DetailsTwo fundamental types of data access exist sequential access as in magnetic tape for example random access as in indexed media Data access crucially involves authorization to access different data repositories Data access can help distinguish the abilities of administrators and users For example administrators may have the ability to remove edit and add data while general users may not even have read rights if they lack access to particular information Historically each repository including each different database file system etc might require the use of different methods and languages and many of these repositories stored their content in different and incompatible formats Over the years standardized languages methods and formats have developed to serve as interfaces between the often proprietary and always idiosyncratic specific languages and methods Such standards include SQL 1974 ODBC ca 1990 JDBC XQJ ADO NET XML XQuery XPath 1999 and Web Services Some of these standards enable translation of data from unstructured such as HTML or free text files to structured such as XML or SQL Structures such as connection strings and DBURLs can attempt to standardise methods of connecting to databases See alsoRight of access to personal data Data access object Data access layerReferences Connecting to Oracle Database in Java Retrieved 2014 07 18 DBURL is of the form jdbc oracle thin machinename 1521 databasename
