Create one centralized database for two departments or create separate for each department?

Question

having a centralized database for two departments is more appropriate as it provide data sharing or having separate databases for each department would be more appropriate as it look more secure?

Answer 1

I agree with the answer above as you can have 20 databases and bring them all together on an application. So it is not relevant. It would depend on the data and its dependancies if the data is not related to the other seperate it. Having one database or 50 does not have an impact on security but how you secure them does. Usually one area of a business will have its own table / database.

Answer 2

Having separate databases does not improve security. Typically, if the data is similar between databases, you should consolidate it into a centralized database. However, if you must separate it, you could keep shared data in a centralized location and use guids to provide uniqueness across systems.

Answer 3

It really depends what you are storing in the databases. If both databases are going to hold the exact same data, for example employee information, then it makes sense to have single database since it's easier to maintain and do reporting on. On the other hand, if you are storing two totally different sets of data, then it may be better to have them in separate databases. Having data in separate database may make it a little easier to secure, but you can secure tables separately in most database systems, and there are even ways to secure certain records in a single table.

Answer 4

Thank you Impaled :)

Answer 5

Security and data sharing have nothing to do with separate databases generally. Each department should have its own database because it's easier to manage (backups, maintenance, updates, etc.) and easier to work with in general because classification/meaningful separation is useful.