ABSTRACT
Again databases have potential in many courses and programmes. A database is simply a means of storing a large amount of information electronically, and in such a way that the data can be printed off and retrieved in a variety of ways and a variety of combinations and can be manipulated in different ways. They therefore offer flexibility in their use. For example, a GNVQ business course may develop a database about companies in the local area that includes information about geographic location, size of work force, age and gender of work force, focus of business and age of company. This information can then be analysed in a number of different ways. An English group may want to look at particular themes in the novels of Jane Austen and produce a database that shows the themes in relation to the various novels. A geography database might be based on climate and topography statistics.
