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Archive vs Database - What's the difference?

archive | database |

As nouns the difference between archive and database

is that archive is a place for storing earlier, and often historical, material. An archive usually contains documents (letters, records, newspapers, etc.) or other types of media kept for historical interest while database is a collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.

As verbs the difference between archive and database

is that archive is to put into an archive while database is to enter data into a database.

archive

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A place for storing earlier, and often historical, material. An archive usually contains documents (letters, records, newspapers, etc.) or other types of media kept for historical interest.
  • The material so kept, considered as a whole (compare archives).
  • His archive of Old High German language texts is the most extensive in Britain.

    Derived terms

    () * archival * archivist * national archive

    Verb

    (archiv)
  • To put into an archive.
  • I was planning on archiving the documents from 2001.

    database

    Alternative forms

    * (older) data base, data-base

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (computing) A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.
  • (computing) A set of tables in a database(1).
  • (computing) A software program for storing, retrieving and manipulating a database(1).
  • (computing) A combination of (1) and (2).
  • Synonyms

    * (collection of organized information) databank * (computer software) database management system

    Verb

    (databas)
  • To enter data into a database
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