Records

Records

Records: a database entry containing one or more values.

A record is merely a point of information after it has been added into a database. Simple enough, but even databases have many parts below the surface.

Consider the hierarchy of storage within a database: individual entries make up the records. Each record takes up a row.

Records and rows, while often used interchangeably, can be a bit confusing when looking at error messages and database queries, which often use row instead of record, leading to a message like “cannot find row 89,” which really just means that particular piece of information cannot be found.

Just like there are rows, there are columns, called “individual fields” which are the same for each new record added.

The combination of all these factors makes up a table, which contains all of this data in as many types as is defined by the database and table.

Think of it like a table in an excel spreadsheet. Each column has a category, and each row added is a record of new values that fit into those categories.

There can be multiple sheets (tables) in each file (database). Each database then, can be saved in another, and so on in this way organizing all data neatly and efficiently.

This is, after all, the reason it was set up like this, to facilitate an efficient and organized method or arranging stored data.

The ability to keep data organized by type in individualized sections, and the ability to then add, subtract, and edit information within without affecting the whole database are all reasons for the heavy use of such systems.

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