1. Part 1

2.  To answer the question “what is a database?”
 To understand the basic components of a
database and start to plan/create our own.

3.  Database
 Table
 Field
 Record
 Primary key

6.  Yellow pages
 Mobile phones
 Microsoft Access

7. What kind of information
could we store in a
database?
Patient information in a hospital
Car registration numbers and owners
Names and phone numbers of friends
Student information in a school
Criminal Records

8. Tables
Each table within a database will have a collection
of fields and records.
e.g. Customer details is a table

9. Fields
Each piece of information in a record is called a
field.
e.g. Name: Joe Bloggs is a field.

10. Records
Each set of information about a person / object is
called a record.
e.g. Name: Joe Bloggs
Address: 33 Wood Lane, Porth
Phone number: 01443 123456
is a record which has 3 fields.

11. Primary key
Every table in a database needs a primary key; a
primary key uniquely identifies each record in
the table.
e.g. Applies an ID to a record
e.g. St1234

12. Table Field
Primary
key
Record