A database is essentially a computerized record-keeping system. The software used to store, organize and retrieve the data is called the database management system – DBMS.
Information is entered into the database via fields. Each field holds a separate item of information. The fields are grouped together in records. (A record of a student can consist of several fields containing his or her first name, surname, date of birth, address, phone number, parents ‘personal data, etc.). The user can define how a record will be organized by choosing the number of fields, their names, the size of each field and the type of data it will hold.
Records are grouped into files. Records can be easily updated – any field containing information can be changed.
Once you have added data to a set of records, indexes must be created. An index is a list of records ordered according to a content of certain fields (for example a surname). This helps to search the database and sort the records.
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