Database basics

  • database (db) = collection of data frames (dfs)
  • each df = “table”
  • named columns where every value is the same type
  • db tables vs dfs:
    • db tables on disk (can be huge), dfs in memory (limited)
    • db tables have indexes, dfs don’t
    • dbs row-oriented for fast data collection, dfs column-oriented for fast analysis