A collection of information stored in an organized form in a computer

In a database, a collection of related information

   In a database, the information relating to one person, product, or event

Each discrete chunk of information in a database record.

The characteristic of a field that determines the kind of information that can be stored in that field.

A field that contains data the uniquely identifies the record. (SSN, student IDs, book #s)

 Looking for a specific record.

An information request.

Arrange records in alphabetical or numeric order based on values in one or more fields.

A complex query structure supported by most search engines; one example is “American AND Indian BUT NOT Cleveland”

A view of the database that shows one record at a time.

Showing data by displaying many records in lists similar to a spreadsheet.

A feature of a word processor or other program that enables it to merge names and addresses from a database mailing list onto personalized form letters and mailings.

 A relatively simple database system in which each database is contained in a single table

A program that allows files to be related to each other so changes in one file are reflected in other files automatically. (eliminates redundancy)

In a relational database design, the process of organizing data to minimize redundancy. Normalization usually involves dividing the database into two or more tables and defining relationships between the tables

A program or system of programs that can manipulate data in a large collection of files (the database), cross referencing between files as needed.

A reference to the validity of data

The discovery and extraction of hidden predictive information from large databases.

Compiling profiles by combining information from different database files by looking for a shared unique field

The crime, committed by hackers or other unscrupulous individuals, of obtaining enough information about a person to assume his or her identity, often as a prelude to illegally using the victim’s credit cards.