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The Benefits of Bespoke Database Design

Posted on July 19th, 2014

iadevelopments provide elegant bespoke database solutions that boost your company’s productivity

The Benefits of Bespoke Database Design

Most database software that you use will be ‘off the shelf’ packages and the same application will typically be run by thousands of users with general properties to suit as many as possible. So, it may be a good idea to consider having a bespoke application written specifically for your organisation, tailored to the precise processes and needs of your business. There are various advantages and disadvantages to both off-the-shelf and bespoke applications. This blog will take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you make the right informed decision for your organisation.

Large software companies such as Microsoft and Adobe produce an extensive range of off-the-shelf database software for a variety of different purposes and audiences from your individual user to large corporations. Packaged software aimed at such a broad spectrum of the market has its pros and cons;

The PROS of an Off-the-shelf Database

• The database tends to be cheap to buy as the cost of development has been spread over a large number of users
• The database can be very sophisticated as the revenues from many users means has been invested to its development
• It is fairly easy to get support and literature is usually widely available as there are will be other users having the same experience both positive and negative
• It is easy to share files produced by the database
• No time is required to be dedicated to the testing and development processes

The PROS of a Bespoke Database

• It has been specifically designed for your particular requirements and has been tailored to fit in exactly with the way that your business or organisation operates
• It can be customised to interface with other software that you operate with the potential to provide a fully integrated IT infrastructure across the whole organisation however large or small
• Users will find the database more intuitive to use as it will not contain superfluous facilities and it should operate in the way that they are used to working
• It is much more flexible than packaged software and can be modified and changed over time as your requirements and business practices change
• You will receive much better support and can talk directly to the developers at iadevelopments
• A good developer, like iadevelopments, can significantly add value to your company by suggesting alternatives, improvements and by acting as a source of IT advice and information
• The use of a professionally developed bespoke database application can give you a significant business advantage over your competition

The CONS of an Off-the-shelf Database

• The database can be highly complex and will usually include large sections that you will never use
• It tends to be a compromise. The database is designed for many different types of users, each of whom will have very different requirements
• As the database software tends to be large and complicated it may take a long time to learn properly
• You may have to alter the way that you work in order to fit in with the way that the database has been designed
• There will probably be operations that you require that you simply cannot do with the ‘off-the-shelf’ database
• As one small voice amongst many others your requests for amendments and updates will not carry much weight
• As the same system can be bought by your competitors it is very difficult to gain any competitive advantage from it’s use

The CONS of a Bespoke Database

• If you pick the wrong developer you could end up with an application that is unstable, unreliable and full of bugs. Selecting a developer, like iadevelopments, who works to Best Practice and industry standards should counteract this
• The investment required will usually be much higher than with packaged software. This is usually the biggest reason for not going down the custom route. You need to undertake a business justification exercise and compare the costs against the expected benefits and commercial advantages
• A large investment in time is required during the development process and a bespoke application will take longer to implement
• It can be difficult to get support for bespoke software, unless the developers, like iadevelopments, themselves offer support services

Are you still unsure whether to invest in a bespoke database?

Having a bespoke application developed specifically for your business can provide you with major business and commercial benefits and allow significant gains in competitive advantage. Bespoke applications are generally easier to use and can work exactly the way you want to do business.

Give iadevelopments a call today on 01621 840014 and we will be happy to discuss your requirements and the best solution for your business.