Database development: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What database development is

A developer designs and builds a database to store and organize your information, creating tables, queries, reports and access controls for your business. You need it when spreadsheets have become hard to trust, when several people need the same records, or when your records must be kept secure.

Signs you need it

  • The same information is stored in several spreadsheets that do not match
  • Staff overwrite each other's files or lose track of the latest version
  • You cannot pull reports without hours of manual work
  • Customer or patient records need access limits that a spreadsheet cannot give
  • Your current system has grown so large that it is slow or fragile

What the pro does

  • Reviews the records you keep, how they relate, and the reports you need
  • Designs the tables, the fields and the relationships between them
  • Builds the queries, the reports and the data entry screens
  • Sets up user roles and access controls for each team
  • Tests the database with real records, migrates the data and documents the system

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • The number of tables and how the records relate to each other
  • The number of users and the access levels needed
  • The amount of existing data to clean and move
  • The number of reports and screens to build
  • Whether the database must connect to other systems
  • Whether backups, hosting and ongoing support are included

What a written quote should spell out

  • The tables, reports and screens built, listed one by one
  • The data migration and cleaning work included
  • User roles and access controls set up
  • Testing and documentation delivered
  • Hosting, backups and support, with the terms

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Who owns the database, the data and the hosting account?
  • How are backups made, and can I restore them myself?
  • How are access controls set for each person?
  • Can I export all my data at any time?
  • What happens to my data if the project ends?
  • Can you show me a database you built for a business?

Red flags

  • Puts the database and the data under the developer's own account
  • Will not show how access controls work
  • Plans to move data without a backup first
  • Builds a database without writing down the records and reports needed

What you can do yourself

List the records you keep, the fields for each and the reports you need, and export your current spreadsheets so you have a copy of the data. Do not give admin access to anyone you have not checked. Hire a developer to design the database, set the access controls and move the data.

Licenses and permits

A license is usually not required for database development. Check with your state or local licensing agency about any business registration that applies, and ask the developer for its contract terms and how it protects your data.

Database development questions

Can I keep using spreadsheets?

Yes, for simple lists. A database is worth it when several people edit the same records or when you need reliable reports.

Who can see my data?

It should be only the people you give access to, if the roles are set up correctly. Ask the developer to show you the access settings before the handover.

How long does a database last?

A well built database can last for years, but it needs backups, updates and a plan for growth.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer database development remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

Edit history

How guide reviews work

How it works

  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See screened pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

More web and software development guides

Find a pro near you

Find a pro

About this guide

Request database development