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Fields and Records
A record is one row. A field is one column. A value is one answer in one cell.
A table is a grid. Each part has a name. Learn the grid first, then the words.
Look at Members. Across the top: MemberID, FullName, City, Phone. Down the side: Sophie Walsh, Harry Cole, Emily Brooks.
Click the table name, a column heading, or any value. Each piece has a job.
Names for the pieces
| What you see | What we call it |
|---|---|
| The whole Members grid | Table |
| Sophie's whole line | Row / record |
| The City heading | Column / field |
| The word York in her line | Value |
Record
A record is one row in a table — a complete set of facts about one member, one book, or one loan.
Sophie Walsh lives in York. She is not the record. The record is the library's stored membership for her. If the row is wrong, you fix the record.
Field
A field is one column — one question asked of every row. City is a field. Every member answers it. The field is not "York". York is one answer.
Attribute
On paper, designers often say attribute for a fact about an entity. In a finished table, that fact appears as a field.
FullName, City, and Phone are attributes of a member. Author is an attribute of a book.
Value
A value is the data in one cell — one answer for one field on one record.
On Sophie's record, the City field holds York. On Harry's record, the same field holds Bristol. One box. One answer.
Quick test: point at the grid and ask — whole list, whole line, heading, or one box? Table, record, field, or value.
Practice
Swipe or use the arrows to move between questions.
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