This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other
Apr 11, 2008 13:06
16 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
France
Your ideas, our languages
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, French to English
in/on a database
English
Tech/Engineering
Computers (general)
Is information held *in* or *on* a database?
Up to now, I have always assumed that "on" was correct, but a client has pulled me up about it. Is this perhaps a British-American thing, with "on" being the preferred BE solution and "in" AE?
A Google straw poll search - for what it's worth - gives twice as many hits for "in", but that may be due to a preference for AE among English speakers the world over.
Can someone shed some light on the matter?
Many thanks!
Up to now, I have always assumed that "on" was correct, but a client has pulled me up about it. Is this perhaps a British-American thing, with "on" being the preferred BE solution and "in" AE?
A Google straw poll search - for what it's worth - gives twice as many hits for "in", but that may be due to a preference for AE among English speakers the world over.
Can someone shed some light on the matter?
Many thanks!
Responses
| 5 +18 | in a database |
Brie Vernier
|
| 4 +4 | on a database |
PeggyStrachan
|
| 4 +2 | see comment |
cmwilliams (X)
|
| 5 | in the database |
Matthew McGuinness
|
Responses
+4
10 mins
PeggyStrachan
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United Kingdom
German Technical Marketing Translator
Native in: German , English
Works in: English to German, German to English, Spanish to German, and 1 more.
on a database
you hold information on a database
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Note added at 13 mins (2008-04-11 13:20:01 GMT)
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it is similar to holding information on tape etc.
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Note added at 13 mins (2008-04-11 13:20:01 GMT)
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it is similar to holding information on tape etc.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
: both 'in' and 'on' are used
4 hrs
|
| agree |
Ahmet ALTANL (X)
: agree with cmwilliams
23 hrs
|
| agree |
Phong Le
: on a database found more than in a database on google
1 day 11 hrs
|
| agree |
Vicky Nash
: agree with cmwilliams, and I wouldn't have thought that there is a major difference - both must be understandable surely? But I, personally, as a BE speaker would say "on".
2 days 20 hrs
|
+2
5 hrs
see comment
It must be a US/UK thing - my natural reaction was to use 'on' and I'm fairly certain it's used here in the UK. Just out of curiosity, I did a Google search for "held on a database" and got over 27,000 hits, slightly more than for "held in a database". I don't think it can be considered to be wrong.
The information provided on this list will be held on a database and will be used for circulating correspondence relating to the. work of this group. ...
www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/calendar/views/entries/show...
This information will be held on a database. From time to time we will send you information about the University. Your details will not be passed on to a ...
www.worc.ac.uk/courses/112.html
nformation was held on a database, whereas the subsequent response. suggested that information was not held on a database. The complainant again ...
www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2006/fs5012...
In any case, they have face-recognition software that can perform the task of matching photos held on a database in seconds. ...
www.newstatesman.com/200309150014
The information provided on this list will be held on a database and will be used for circulating correspondence relating to the. work of this group. ...
www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/calendar/views/entries/show...
This information will be held on a database. From time to time we will send you information about the University. Your details will not be passed on to a ...
www.worc.ac.uk/courses/112.html
nformation was held on a database, whereas the subsequent response. suggested that information was not held on a database. The complainant again ...
www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2006/fs5012...
In any case, they have face-recognition software that can perform the task of matching photos held on a database in seconds. ...
www.newstatesman.com/200309150014
+18
14 mins
Brie Vernier
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Germany
Bridging the language gap since 1995
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US)
Works in: German to English
in a database
As an AE, I have *never* heard of putting information "on" a database. Information must be "input" into the db, and is then "in" the db, unless you are talking about "information *about* the db", in which case "on" would be an appropriate substitute -- as in "Please send us more information on (about, regarding) your xyz database".
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Note added at 16 mins (2008-04-11 13:23:14 GMT)
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Make that "As a native speaker of AE ..." ... and I disagree with Peggy's analogy to holding information "on tape", as a tape is a physical entity, while a database is not. It is STORED on a physical entity, but is itself just a large collection of bit and bytes and I could never see myself putting something ON them. But that's just me.
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Note added at 2 days4 mins (2008-04-13 13:10:23 GMT)
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Isn't as easy as all WHAT, Jan?
a) I never said it was easy; I simply stated my native AE perspective on the matter
b) A computer and a server are both physical entities, see my explanation above. A system, on the other hand, is again not a physical entity, so I would have/put data/information "in the system" and not on it.
Nevertheless, I have given it some more thought and done some more googling .... As a native AE speaker, I would not likely speak of "holding" information in/on a db anyway, but rather "storing" it there/it being stored there. That may be where the AE/BE difference comes into play. 'Googling "stored in * database" vs. ""stored on * database" ("*" to account for the possibilities of a/the/our and/or further modifiers) you will notice a TREMENDOUS difference, and replacing "stored" with "held" paints its own picture, as well.
Finally, it may be worth noting that at least 5 of my peers below are native speakers of BE.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2008-04-11 13:23:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Make that "As a native speaker of AE ..." ... and I disagree with Peggy's analogy to holding information "on tape", as a tape is a physical entity, while a database is not. It is STORED on a physical entity, but is itself just a large collection of bit and bytes and I could never see myself putting something ON them. But that's just me.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days4 mins (2008-04-13 13:10:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Isn't as easy as all WHAT, Jan?
a) I never said it was easy; I simply stated my native AE perspective on the matter
b) A computer and a server are both physical entities, see my explanation above. A system, on the other hand, is again not a physical entity, so I would have/put data/information "in the system" and not on it.
Nevertheless, I have given it some more thought and done some more googling .... As a native AE speaker, I would not likely speak of "holding" information in/on a db anyway, but rather "storing" it there/it being stored there. That may be where the AE/BE difference comes into play. 'Googling "stored in * database" vs. ""stored on * database" ("*" to account for the possibilities of a/the/our and/or further modifiers) you will notice a TREMENDOUS difference, and replacing "stored" with "held" paints its own picture, as well.
Finally, it may be worth noting that at least 5 of my peers below are native speakers of BE.
Note from asker:
| ... and yet I suspect you would store information *on* a computer or *on* a server. You see, it isn't as easy as all that. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
PoveyTrans (X)
1 min
|
|
Thanks, Simon
|
|
| agree |
~Ania~
: I would say "in" as well although I have heard "on" used too
8 mins
|
|
Thanks, Ania
|
|
| agree |
Enza Longo
: totally in agreement
8 mins
|
|
Thanks, Enza
|
|
| agree |
Chris Rowson (X)
: agree absolutely with all of the above, as native BE - well databases have always been AE, haven´t they
11 mins
|
|
Thanks, Chris ... and yeah, you have a point there ; )
|
|
| agree |
orientalhorizon
16 mins
|
|
Thanks, orientalhorizon
|
|
| agree |
Ken Cox
: Fully agree (similarly, you put or store data in a file, but you can have data on file)
28 mins
|
|
Thanks, Ken.
|
|
| agree |
Armorel Young
: yes - although I could just about imagine saying "we haven't got you on our database"
50 mins
|
|
Thanks, Armorel, but I still couldn't bring myself to say that ...
|
|
| agree |
jccantrell
: In the USA, this is the way we term it.
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, JC
|
|
| agree |
Can Altinbay
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, Can
|
|
| agree |
Jack Doughty
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, Jack
|
|
| agree |
Damon Erickson
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, Damon
|
|
| agree |
kmtext
: I agree with Armorel about this. Information is in a database, but I've heard 'on' being used when referring to people. Maybe it's a BE thing.
1 hr
|
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Thanks, kmtext! But you guys can also be "on" a seminar, which I could never say ; )
|
|
| agree |
BrettMN
: Always "in," never "on"
2 hrs
|
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Thanks, Brett
|
|
| agree |
Marc Van de Velde, MNI
2 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Marc
|
|
| agree |
Claire Chapman
2 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Claire
|
|
| agree |
Milena Sahakian
3 hrs
|
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Thanks, Milena
|
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| agree |
veratek
: for US EN
1 day 12 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Vera
|
|
| agree |
V_Nedkov
2 days 23 hrs
|
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Thanks, V_N
|
4 days
in the database
In is by far the most common usage. However, there is a small group of cases where 'on' becomes more acceptable. For example if you are making a very general statement about the data contents of the database.
Example sentence:
We have a million car registrations on the database.
Discussion