Terms Used In Information Management

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Field

A field is a single piece of information

It is denoted by field name

They are the smallest units of information that can be accessed

Fields can either be required, optional or required.

Required - Data must be entered in a field

Optional - Fields can be left blank

Calculated - Values can be derived with the use of formulas and information from other fields

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Records

A record is a collection of fields

A set of records constitutes a file

In RDBMS's, records are called tuples

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Tables

A table is data arranged in rows and columns

A table can be used to store and display data in a structured format

In RDBMS's, all information is stored in the form of tables

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Files

A file is a collection of records

It is denoted by filename

Different files store different information according to the attribute

There are various types of files:

Data files

Text files

Program files

Directory files

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Database

A database is a collection of information

A database can be thought of as an electrical filing system

Different database management systems also support different query languages

There are various types of databases:

Relational

Object-Oriented

Distributed

Data warehouse

Hypertext Database

- Any object can be linked to another object

- This type of database can be used to organize disparate objects

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Database Management System (RDBMS)

A database management system is a collection of programs

It allows you to enter, store, modify, extract and organize data in a database

It allows data in a database to be accessed

There are various types of Database Management Systems:

MySQL

Microsoft Acces

Oracle

Examples of Database Management Systems:

Computerized Library System

Automated Teller Machine

Flight Reservation System

Computerized parts inventory System

A Database Management System can organize information internally in different ways:

Relational

Network

Flat

Hierarchical

The organization can determine how quickly or flexibly information can be extracted