Full-Text Database

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What Does Full-Text Database Mean?

A full-text database is a database that is comprised of several books, articles, journals, magazines, newspapers and other textual documents but does not include graphical documents such as drawings, diagrams or pictures. Each of the referenced documents can be viewed, printed or downloaded online. It is also searchable by using keywords, phrases or both.

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Techopedia Explains Full-Text Database

When a document is viewed from a full-text database, it appears in an ASCII format, which is displayed as a text file with a .txt extension. This type of document is presented as a word-processed file that requires software programs like MS Word. It may also be presented as a PDF file that may appear as a scanned hard copy of the original document. Full-text databases are commonly found and used in libraries for student and staff convenience.

Full-text databases are also suited for online-based classrooms and study because they allow students to access the resource materials remotely via the Internet. Although these databases are mostly used for educational purposes, they are sometimes used by large corporations, law offices and government agencies to store important archived data.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.