We will be using a relational database. This contains related tables in which data is stored in records (rows) and fields (columns).

A record is a collection of related fields, or all the information about an item. A field is a single category of data or one type of information such as a name, address, or telephone number. Each record in a database contains the same fields but not necessarily the same data. Data is located in the fields of a record.

An example of a database is the telephone book. A breakdown of this database is shown below:

Table:	Telephone Book
Record:	All information related to a single telephone number
Fields:	Name	Street	Telephone Number
Data:	Joe Current	1000 Nowhere Lane	000-0000

Related tables have a key field or primary key which stores the same kind of data. The common field is used to link two or tables together so that the data in one table can be combined with data from other tables. The data in the key field is unique to each record in a table.