When we refer to a database today we are usually referring to the electronic version. The term originated in the computer industry though a database can literally take many forms. Anything that represents an organised collection of data can be considered a “database”.

For example…

• A telephone book
• A filing cabinet
• TV Guide
• Dictionary
• Periodic Table

…just to name a few.

Strictly speaking, the term database refers to the collection of related records, and the software should be referred to as the database management system or DBMS. Typically, for a given database, there is a structural description of the type of facts held in that database: this description is known as a schema. The schema describes the objects that are represented in the database, and the relationships among them.

Let’s have a look at the structure of a database. To help us understand this we will use the example of a telephone book;

Database File- This is your main file that encompasses the entire database (and that is saved to your hard-drive or disk). Example - White Pages.

Table- A table is a collection of data about a specific topic. There can be multiple tables in a database. Example - name, address, phone number.

Fields- Fields are the different categories within a Table. Tables usually contain multiple fields. Example - [initials/surname], [number/street], [area code/phone number].

Datatype- Datatypes are the properties of each field. A field only has 1 datatype. Example - text, number or value.

“Schema”- Resolving names to telephone numbers.

Here’s a visual representation of this…

 

 

-The Database file