Democratizing databases
When an organization needs a new database, it typically hires a contractor to build it or buys a heavily supported product customized to its industry sector. Usually, the organization already owns all the data it wants to put in the database. But writing complex queries in SQL or some other database scripting language to pull data from many different sources; to filter, sort, combine, and otherwise manipulate it; and to display it in an easy-to-read format requires expertise that few organizations have in-house. New software from researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory could make databases much easier for laypeople to work with. The program’s home screen looks like a spreadsheet, but it lets users build their own database queries and reports by combining functions familiar to any spreadsheet user. Simple drop-down menus let the user pull data into the tool from multiple sources. The user can then sort and filter...