Chapter 15 Database Basics

record

a part of a database that holds data about a particular individual or item

garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)

a phrase that stresses the importance of inputting accurate data in a database

key field

an element that links tables in a relational database

database

an organized collection of information that may or may not be stored in a computer

table

data organized into rows and columns

metadata

information stored with a file to help identify the file

field

the part of a database that holds an individual piece of data

information overload

the result of a computer user being overwhelmed by the amount of information generated by his or her computer

descending order

the sorting of data by decreasing value

ascending order

the sorting of data by increasing value

sort

to arrange data in a specific order

browse

to find information in a database by looking at records one at a time