Editing Data access (section)

==Details==
Two fundamental types of data access exist:
# [[sequential access]] (as in [[magnetic tape data storage|magnetic tape]], for example)
# [[random access]] (as in indexed [[digital media|media]])

Data access crucially involves [[authorization]] to access different data repositories. Data access can help distinguish the abilities of administrators and users. For example, administrators may have the ability to remove, edit and add data, while general users may not even have "read" rights if they lack access to particular information.

Historically, each repository (including each different database, [[file system]], etc.), might require the use of different [[method (computer science)|methods]] and [[languages]], and many of these repositories stored their content in different and incompatible formats.

Over the years standardized languages, methods, and formats, have developed to serve as interfaces between the often proprietary, and always idiosyncratic, specific languages and methods.  Such standards include [[SQL]] (1974- ), [[ODBC]] (ca 1990- ), [[JDBC]], [[XQuery API for Java|XQJ]], [[ADO.NET]], [[XML]], [[XQuery]], [[XPath]] (1999- ), and [[Web Services]].

Some of these standards enable translation of data from [[unstructured data|unstructured]] (such as HTML or free-text files) to [[structured data|structured]] (such as [[XML]] or [[SQL]]).

Structures such as [[connection string]]s and DBURLs<ref>
{{cite web
| url           = http://www.quickprogrammingtips.com/java/connecting-to-oracle-database-in-java.html
| title         = Connecting to Oracle Database in Java
| accessdate    = 2014-07-18
| quote         = DBURL is of the form [...] jdbc:oracle:thin:@machinename:1521:databasename [...]
}}
</ref>
can attempt to standardise methods of [[database connection|connecting to databases]].