Setting Up a Database Database work is often considered difficult because of the accuracy you have to apply when working The first things to consider when creating a Database are: What data needs to be stored ? How is this information going to be used? The first things to consider when creating a Database are: What data needs to be stored ? How is this information going to be used? Before we go further there are some ‘terms’ with which we must be familiar Click for NEXT

Records A Record might be looked upon as a set of mixed data that belongs to one person (or thing) The data might include their height, colour of their hair, eye colour etc All the personal data would go up to make their Personal Record The data might include their height, colour of their hair, eye colour etc All the personal data would go up to make their Personal Record In a similar way all the data about a particular car would make up the Record of the car. Can you think of items that might be found in a Record of a Car! MakeModelColourNumber NEXT BACK

Fields Again the Computer World has borrowed from real life by using the term ‘field’ Q. What is a field? True in both cases, but the farmer would want to keep the cows and the crops apart. Yet he might mix the crops in the one field – or the type of cows (Jersey, Friesians) in the other field True in both cases, but the farmer would want to keep the cows and the crops apart. Yet he might mix the crops in the one field – or the type of cows (Jersey, Friesians) in the other field A. Something you put cows in! A. Something you grow crops in! NEXT BACK

Records & Fields We have already seen that you could have a Record of a car and this will be made up of Fields Car 1 (Record 1) Red, Fiesta, Ford, L237 WRS Car 2 (Record 2) Fiat, Uno, N17 BRK, White Car 3 (Record 2) L809 PPG, Renault, Clio, Red These Records need organising into Fields Matching the Attributes of each car Let’s use the following as Field Names Make, Model, Colour, Number NEXT BACK

Tables We need to set out a Table for the cars in the list Using a Table set-up like this we can form a Database CarsMakeModelColourNumber Car 1FordFiestaRedL237 WRS Car 2FiatUnoWhiteN17 BRK Car 3RenaultClioRedL809 PPG Fields Records NEXT BACK