Databases

What is a Database?

A database is an organised collection of data. Think of it like a digital filing system that stores information in a structured way.

Key features of databases:

• Made up of one or more tables (like spreadsheets)
• Each table contains fields and records to organise the data
• Allows you to store, find, and manage information easily
• Particularly useful when working with large amounts of data
• Stored on secondary storage (like hard drives or servers)
• Often stored on remote servers so multiple people can access the data at the same time
• More secure than simple text files
• Data can be sorted and searched very efficiently

Fields and Records

Records

A record is a collection of fields relating to one person, item, or object.

• In a database table, a record is represented by a row
• Each record contains all the information about one specific item

Example:

Here's a simple database table showing student information:

In this table:

• Fields (columns): StudentID, FirstName, LastName, Age
• Records (rows): Each row represents one student
• The first record contains: 1001, Sarah, Ahmed, 15