Most, if not all, companies deal with complications and integration headaches somewhere in their data pipeline due to an inability or difficulty of connecting certain systems. Sometimes you have to add yet another technology to the lineup just to connect different systems and get your data to where it needs to go. However, in this modern-day, less is more. Most technologies that emerge are all about being more efficient and providing more functionality in a smaller package. If you can meet your data management needs with fewer tools, then it’s a win-win for cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and ease of use. Enter database drivers.
The Magical Adaptors
To put it plainly, each computer system needs some sort of adaptor or tool to be able to connect to other computer systems that are not the same. You can think about this in the physical or interior (computer system) sense. For a physical example, we all know the major frustration that comes along with upgrading your phone, when your chargers and headphones no longer fit in the ever-shrinking port on the bottom of the phone. However, you can buy an adapter to serve as a “middle man” to enable the connection. With computer systems, it’s the same but different. A database driver works like that physical phone adaptor, but instead of having to invest in an additional product to add to the tech stack, you can develop an adaptor/connector to extend the database functionality. Like an extension to a software package.