Like a library, secondary storage is designed to store information. How is such stored information organized? What are files and databases and why do you need to know anything about them? Perhaps the answer is this: To be a competent user of information in the information age, you have to know how to find information, and so you have to understand how it is stored.

At one time, it was not important for microcomputer users to know much about data files and databases. However, the recent arrival of very powerful microcomputers and their connectivity to communications networks and the Internet have changed that. Communications lines and the Internet extend the reach of your microcomputer well beyond the desktop.

Competent end users need to understand data fields, records, files, and databases. They need to be aware of the different ways in which a database can be structured and the different types of databases. Also, they need to know the most important database uses and issues.