Databases for All Reasons
Database Differences

At one time, a clear line divided low-end and high-end database tools. But that line has blurred as basic tools, such as the online database QuickBase, add sophisticated programming tools. In fact, only one program in our roundup, MyDatabase, is for people who have no interest in programming or network capabilities but want an easy way to set up a contact database, for example.

Product Guide: Database Software
Clash of the Titans
The other products we review target divergent sets of users. If your organization already has Microsoft Office Professional—as the vast majority of small businesses do—you already have the most popular personal database manager, Microsoft Access. Access is among the most powerful database managers here. Along with Alpha Five Version 5 and Paradox 10, Access includes sophisticated programming, networking, and integration capabilities, so your database can grow with your company.

Suitable for organizations with a variety of text documents to contend with, such as law offices, askSam Professional 5 takes a twist on standard database management by focusing on unstructured data. For individuals and small to midsize workplaces looking for the best combination of ease and power, FileMaker Pro 6 is one of the easiest products we reviewed but also offers powerful relational, Web-posting, and integration features. If you want the universal access offered by a Web-based product, QuickBase is for you: It's the only hosted solution we tested. Later we discuss the pros and cons of hosted and installed database management systems.

When you think the time may have come to switch to something more advanced, certain signs will make it clear that an upgrade is in order, says Eileen Hasson, president of The Computer Company, a programming consultancy. When system performance becomes sluggish, when the number of users hitting the database soars, when query results take a long time, when the number of records in your database grows to the tens of thousands, it's time to upgrade to a database server more powerful than those in this roundup.