Records (AQA GCSE Computer Science)

Records

What is a database?

• A Database is an organised collection of data

• It allows easy storage, retrieval, and management of information

• A database is useful when working with large amounts of data, databases are stored on secondary storage

• A database is often stored on remote servers so multiple users can access it at the same time, useful for online systems

• Data can be sorted and searched efficiently, making use of more advanced structures

• They are more secure than text files

• A database uses fields and records to organise how it stores data

What are fields & records?

• A field is one piece of information relating to one person, item or object

• A field is represented in a database by a column,

• A record is a collection of fields relating to one person, item or object

• A record is represented in a database by a row

Text files

• A text file is useful when working with small amounts of data, text files are stored on secondary storage and 'read' in to a program when being used

• They are used to store information when the application is closed

• Each entry is stored on a new line or separated with a special identifier, for example a comma (',')

• It can be difficult in text files to know where a record begins and ends

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Arrays

• An array is useful when working with small amounts of data, arrays are stored in main memory (RAM)

• They are used to store information when the application is in use

• Can be more efficient and much faster to search than working with text files