Database

How often have you created a database for a new Rails application and then sat staring at the empty tables? Often times when building a new application you need sample data to help flesh out the user interface or to show off the application to your customer. Rails provides a convenient method of loading this data via the seeds.rb file, but you still have to create the content for this file. This article will discuss a mostly automated way of generating content for your database.

If I were to say the word database to you, what might be the first thing that would come to mind. It would probably depend on your current situation and background. Corporate developers might immediately think of Oracle Database or Microsoft SQL Server. Open-source developers would probably think of MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB. Desktop users might think of Microsoft Access, Paradox, or even dBase. In general, what you are actually thinking of is the DBMS (Database Management System) or the software that allows you to interact with the database.