Find out what data and database software is right for you by exploring our commonly used data software deployed by the most sophisticated data teams.
Data software is any software that is used to store, process, transfer, backup, or otherwise use data, databases, or datasets.
There are many many types of data and data management software that can be used for storing, sharing, organizing, backing up, finding, or securing data. These include:
Data recovery software tries to recover missing, damaged, deleted, or corrupted data from a storage device (hard drive, flash drive, memory card, etc.,). The software scans the damaged device to potentially allow you to identify, extract, and copy lost data to a new device.
Data entry software helps to automate manual data entry processes with the goal of making the data entry process faster and more efficient. This software replaces paper-based data storage by moving that data into a more user-friendly format, like a digital database, for further processing.
Data mining software allows companies to dig deep (or mine) into large raw datasets in order to extract usable information with the goal of finding correlations, patterns, insights, or anomalies that may not be easily seen in the larger dataset.
Data management software (DMS) is any program that can take in a variety of different types of data, or data from a multitude of sources, and then convert it into one single data type and store it in a database for more consistency.
Data Analysis software is used to analyze any relationships or correlations found in a dataset and is used to process data in order to provide information for further analysis.
The goal of data visualization software is to make data more easily understandable and actionable through visual representations like charts and graphs. As people find it much easier to see trends visually versus looking at numbers or calculations, data visualization typically results in a company increasing focus on data.
Data processing software is used to take in collected information or data and convert it to a more usable dataset. For example, taking the results of survey data collected, and processing that into a percentage of people who gave a particular response.
Data loss prevention (DLP) software is used to monitor for and detect potential data breaches, unauthorized data access or transmission, and to block access to sensitive data when it is being transmitted or stored in a database.
Data catalog software is used to automate the ability of an organization to find data from any data sources that exist in its data systems. Metadata is attached to data in order to organize it, and with this metadata searching is enabled to help the user find specific data points they are looking for.
Data collection software optimizes for the collection of data by allowing both quantitative and qualitative data to be stored digitally. Rather than having to collect data in a non-electronic format (like paper-based surveys) which then has to be transformed into digital data through data entry, data collection software allows for the direct collection of data in a digital format (eg: online surveys).
Data mapping software automates the process of extracting data in one or more source files and mapping (or matching) them with the desired location in the destination file. For example, if a source file contains both a separate first name and separate last name field, and the destination file contains a full name field (merging first and last names), data mapping software could extract First Name and Last Name from their respective fields and then concatenate them into the desired destination field Full Name
Big data software is used for managing, processing, and using, you guessed it, big data. When data sets are large or too complex they can not be held in traditional database systems (like SQL) therefore special tools and databases are needed to work with and store them.
Data acquisition (DAQ) software is part of a data acquisition system and serves as the operating system (of sorts) that connects DAQ hardware with whatever it is trying to measure or control in the real world environment. For example, a digital crowd counter might be the hardware that records every time someone enters through a turnstile (increasing by one on entry, decreasing by one on exit), while the software would record these inputs and notify or flag in the event of overcrowding.
Data logger software is similar to DAQ software, only it typically focuses on environmental measures such as weather, water levels, soil and moisture levels, etc.,
Data modeling software is used to create database structures from mock-ups, flow charts, or diagrams, once your team has analyzed how data will be used and retrieved. Data modeling is done to better structure data that is contained in databases by planning for how it will be structured in advance of database creation.
Data backup software creates a snapshot in time of your data and stores it as a duplicate record to be retrieved or recovered in the event that recovery is needed. For example, if data is backed up daily, data backup software can be used to retrieve all data from the day before a corrupted event takes place to minimize lost data.
Data warehouse software is used to store data in a central repository with the goal of integration with other systems. Unlike a standard database that is designed to be queried for specific information, data warehouse software seeks to get data both into and out of multiple systems. For example, a data warehouse my house your expense data from your expense software, and your sales data from your POS, so that you can pull both and populate your accounting software when doing your books.
Data encryption software takes data that is not secure and applies cryptography to it in order to prevent unauthorized access either before, during, or after transmission. In theory, only someone who has the correct permissions should be able to decrypt the data or otherwise gain access to it.
Data erasure software allows you to clear, wipe, or destroy data from a storage device so that it cannot possibly be recovered. This is usually desired when the risk of data or information falling into the wrong hands outweighs the risk of data loss (which can be mitigated by proper backups). Think of data erasure software as a paper shredder for your data.
Data extraction software is used to gather data from sources where it may or may not be properly structured so that it can be stored and processed. Extraction software can be used to collect data from forms, scrape data from websites, or even pull data from scanned documents, emails, etc.
Data governance software is used to ensure that all data that a company stores meets regulatory standards with regards to security, privacy, and structure. It is also used to ensure data is readily available, usable, and maintains data integrity.
Data protection software is used to regularly backup data from a host device to a destination or backup device. For example, a laptop or personal computer (host device) might regularly have its data backed up to an external hard drive (destination device).
Data security software seeks to limit access to sensitive data to only allow parties that you want to be able to access this data. The software allows administrators to set permission controls so that access is restricted to any employees or customers who do not have permission to do so.
Data integration software allows organizations to pull data from several disconnected data sources and share data amongst those sources, especially when no native connection is available. Services such as Zapier allow you to move data easily between two different systems.
Data room software is used to create virtual or online data rooms (VDRs) that allow businesses to securely store and share data in one place. For example, a company looking to get investment might create a data room to share sales and other confidential data with potential investors.
Data tracking software allows you to track where your data is located as well as when it is being accessed at any given point and time. A common example, might be in terms of contracts waiting for signature, you can see whether they have been viewed, who has accessed them, and more.
Data matching software is used to find duplicate records in data so that they can be merged or deleted as part of maintaining a clean database. A set of data is searched by the software to identify any potential duplicates, and then is flagged for removal or merging.
Data quality software seeks to ensure that all data in a data system is free of flaws or errors and helps identify any errors as well potential causes that might be driving further errors. When it comes to data there is very much a garbage in, garbage out phenomenon, which is why it is essential that data is accurate and trustworthy at all times.
Data transfer software are programs that allow for the transfer of files or data from one person or location to another person or location either online or via a network connection. Data is commonly transferred via FTP (file transfer protocol) or online via HTTP protocol.
Data classification software takes data and segments or organizes it based on categories such as type, size, content, creation date, or other relevant measures. The purpose of this is for easier data retrieval when searching or sorting through data.
A data lake is where all organizational data is stored in a raw unprocessed format and remains until the data is used by data analytics programs. Think of streams and rivers (your data sources) flowing into a large body of water (your data lake) where it remains until it is pumped out for various purposes (data analysis).
Data download monitoring software allows you to keep a record of who is accessing, sharing, or downloading your data, and allows for the password or permission based protection of certain files to restrict unauthorized downloads.
Data software automates the many complex processes behind using data that otherwise might be difficult or impossible to do manually or with paper-based systems.
Virtually everyone in your organization will use data or database software, from users who create, save, store, or search through data to data administrators who create the systems behind data management, to data analysts who try to gain and share business insights from the data.
