How Much Does It Cost To Create A Database

Database Prices

When managing your organisation's data becomes too large a task to deal with using shared spreadsheets, acquiring a database becomes essential. No company can function properly when their vital business data is subject to loss, prone to error or is locked to one user at a time – a database solves all these problems and provides a wealth of new options for data organisation, analysis and reporting.

Not only is data vital for the internal operations that take place on a daily basis, but it also offers excellent insight which can be used externally too - whether you need to convince potential clients or potential partners, using well ordered, quality data can often be hugely beneficial. Of course, not every business has the resource available to begin developing top-quality databases - fortunately, external agencies and professionals can be sourced to help in this area.

If you are interested in finding out more about the costs and prices that you might encounter during your database development process, simply continue reading this page; otherwise, if you would like to start comparing prices and quotes from top UK database developers today, just complete the form at the top of this page.

Approved Index's quote comparison service is free, quick and easy, and it could save you as much as 40% on your database development costs.

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- Database Hardware Costs - Database Software Prices - Database Developer Rates - Database Maintenance Costs -

Cost of a Database

The total cost of your database will be determined by various factors; the cost of hardware, software, development, support and maintenance will all need to be considered.

This page has been designed to provide insight into the total cost you are likely to encounter; it will also include details and pricing information about the various processes. Understanding these various processes allows you to better appreciate where your money is being spent, and what contribution it is making to the overall process.

The table below includes some very basic price estimates - however, this table is not scaled to include all relevant hours worked, or months paid in subscriptions, for example.

Feature	Purpose	Cost
Hardware	Hardware is required to support the other features - in this case it includes an appropriate network.	£250-£350 for installation
Software	Software allows your staff to interact with the database - database software is designed for ease of use and access.	£100 per PC or user
Development	Database developers are often needed to put together both the front and backend of your system. Unless you have an internal expert, you will need to hire an external contractor.	£40 per Hour
Maintenance	There are often monthly costs, or else additional subscription fees that you will need to pay to ensure the continued maintenance of your database.	£150 per Month

See the sections below for more information about the individual elements.

Database Hardware Costs

Very small companies might get away with hosting a database on a single desktop PC. This will, however, restrict use of the database to one person at a time.

Larger companies where several users need to be able to share access to the database and be able to both view and edit data at the same time will need the database installed on a server which other computers can access via the network. If you don't already use a LAN network you'll need to set one up. You'll also need to make sure your server has sufficient capacity to handle the database.

The network installation required to support your database hardware will probably cost at least £250, although this price is not definitive and may rise depending on your requirements and on the supplier you work with.

To safely estimate the budget, you would be better to set aside between £250 and £350 for the initial LAN installation, with monthly costs of £20 to £40 added thereafter.

Database Software Prices

Database Software Costs

A database for a company normally consists of a proprietary database platform which stores the data points and the relations between them and 'front end' which is customised to your particular organisation and which allows the retrieval of specific reports and running of specific tasks.

Common database platforms include Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2. These are commonly charged for via a licence per user and a server licence. Get these costs broken down in each quote for comparison – for small enterprises it usually doesn't make a lot of difference which platform you use so try to find the cheapest.

Microsoft Access costs around £100 per user or PC - to discover how much you may not to pay, it is best to speak to a supplier who can explain exactly which costs you will encounter. Speaking to a supplier will also help you to discover the most suitable software for your business or industry.

Database Development Rates

Database Development Costs

Database developers will need to design and build the front end of the database so that it meets your organisation's particular needs. They'll also need to test the database, install it on your hardware, setup and train users and oversee the roll-out to troubleshoot problems and fix bugs.

You'll want a quote for the entire job that is broken down into constituent elements so that you can compare prices from different developers. You might also want to ask the developers for a per day or per hour database development price so that if the job is completed in a significantly shorter time you can ask for an appropriate reduction to be made.

Because there are so many different factors that can affect the costs you will pay for development, it might be better to work out an hourly rate - especially if the initial breakdown mentioned above is not possible.

As with any profession, the freelance hourly rates for database developers vary dramatically; a number of factors should be considered though, with experience and a portfolio foremost among your concerns as a potential employer.

Although the prices will vary considerably, as mentioned, for an experienced database developer, you will probably want to pay £40 per hour as a minimum.

Database Maintenance & Support Costs

Database Maintenance Costs

Your data is presumably very important to your business or organisation - otherwise why consider getting a custom database built in the first place - so you'll want a contingency plan in place for when things go wrong – the data needs to be backed up and you must have someone to call to fix problems.

Regular maintenance will also keep the database running smoothly. Get detailed prices from the developers under consideration, including standing charges and costs for call-out and labour.

Although it is difficult to estimate what these costs might be per month, you can make some guess. Including the £30 to £40 monthly subscription fee, you could estimate ongoing costs of around £150 per month if you want to include two to three hours of developer time.

Compare Database Prices Today

The information on this page has been sourced and designed to provide some basic insight into what costs you might encounter. For a more accurate quote though, you should speak to as many providers as possible - Approved Index can help here.

Approved Index's quote comparison service is the best way for your business to compare top-quality UK database developers. The process is free, quick and easy, and it could save you as much as 40% on your total and ongoing costs.

Compare database developer costs today to find the best service for your business.

Let Approved Index help you find the best Database Development prices.

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