Databases have, in some form or another, existed since the Middle Ages. The fundamental need for them is the same now as it was then: when scholars and humanists have collected or assembled enough data, information, or material, they have developed means to organize the items to be easily retrieved. With the emergence of computer systems, databases have often arisen concurrently. In addition to presenting similar problems like importing or exporting data, computers and databases share the issue of access points and user convenience. However, one thing that humanists have come to realize is that they experience some of the same difficulties in establishing databases as editors have in editing a text. Such similarities include, but are not limited to, deciding what texts should and shouldn't be included and what parts of those texts should remain.

One of the most basic and prevalent kind of database is a relational database. Although it might appear as though the inherent difficulty of databases lies in their complexity, this complexity is actually of great value to a humanist. It allows for versatile relationships between texts in terms of being able to connect supposedly disparate texts with each other. A few terms that humanists will employ to help guide their research in addition to their approach to databases involve publishers, works, and authors and what part of the creation or editing process they take part in. Such relational databases facilitate humanists to investigate connections which might not have been evident had the material not been collectived. In truth, databases are used by humanists as para—interpretive rather than pre—interpretive since connections are made after inclusion and formatting in the database. The relatively simple database mode mentioned above is also known by the shorthand of RDMBS: Relational Database Management Systems. It should be noted, though, that as technology evolves, so do the database systems and, therefore, continue to be of great interest.

In 1970 E.F. Codd first proposed such a relational database; the fundamental problem he wished to overcome was repetitive data computations. These repitions arose from databases either being too slow or featuring cumbersome accessiblity points. His mathematic approach to databases helped establish the current relational modes which have become so popular. Databases use a series of attributes which help identitfy specific functions or markers of whatever entity is being inserted or extracted. This entity is usually referred to as a domain or universe of discourse; the point of databases is to make inquiries about such domains. While these entities are of use as single units of data in and of themselves, they are far more useful if understood as units involved in some function between each other.

The relational database model has established itself as the leading mode for storing large amounts of data, nearly obsoleting older forms like the hierarchical database. Due to technological progress, though, new models are currently being created and studied by computer scientists that might challenge RDMBSs, namely OO (object-oriented) databases. These are different in that as opposed to relational databases, OO aims to break every datum and process into its own distinct unit. This, in turn, allows for greater modularity although the database becomes more intricate and more complicated. There are some attempts to incorporate these two database forms into one kind of database in an effort to get the best of both worlds. Databases will continue to be important to humanists as they are conducive to the open exchange of ideas and information. While the information imported into a database is essential, the reasoning and the logic for doing so is also a valuable set of information since it displays the processes ascribed to in creating a database. The thoughts and objects both become significant to the humanist and although the database technologies have changed vastly since their inception, the basic goal of critical insight has remained the same.