| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Data | This is simply information |
| Database | A collection of information |
| Table | A table contains a collection of related information |
| Row | A row contains information relating to one specific instance within a table. Also called a record. |
| Column | A column is an attribute of the data in a table. This is synonymous with field. Example: the instance of a person may have the following attributes (or fields): height, weight, firstName, lastName, age, etc... |
| DBMS | Data Base Management System - this is the application which manages and maitains the information within a database. |
| RDBMS | Relational Data Base Management System - this is a DBMS which enforces certain relationships within a database. Examples of these include: Access, Oracle, MS SQL Server, PostGre and more. |
| SQL | Structured Query Language - This is a simple programming language for retreiving, updating, and managing data within a DBMS or RDBMS. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute - Organization which develops standards for RDBMS structures. |
| Primary key | A field within a database which uniquely identifies a record. |
| Foreign key | A field in a database table which is associated with field in another table. |
| Datatype | The type of data stored in a field. Examples include: VARCHAR, CHAR, INT, DATE, DATETIME, BLOB, etc... |
| Trigger | An automated process used by the DBMS to enforce referential integrity |
| Normalization | A process of formatting the data structure within a database to minimize redundancy. |