

Once you’ve decided to create a database, the way ahead looks simple.

But sooner or later, anyone who has to keep track of and retrieve important information is going to benefit from one What kind of database do you create? Databases are also necessary for setting up data entry or data viewing forms creating relations between tables so you can print connected data or for creating a list that shows the average number of items your customers bought per purchase during the holiday shopping season. For instance, once you have a database, you can, of course, do mail merges-whether it’s a letter to each of the 500 people you met at a free software convention or printing labels for each of the 870 legal DVD backups you own. Databases are for storing data, of course, but their benefit comes in letting you get at the data you want, and in displaying or printing it the way you want. But sooner or later, anyone who has to keep track of and retrieve important information is going to benefit from one.

Use the free office suite to get your data in shape for mail merges, queries, or useful analysis of your business data. Do you need to make a database, but fear it’s too much of a pain or you don’t have the right tools? Don’t worry: it’s easy, free, and useful, too.
