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Column (database)
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<h2 id="field">Field</h2> <p class="note">Further information: <a href="/facts/Field_(computer_science)/jt622EDb">Field (computer science)</a></p> <p>The word 'field' is normally used interchangeably with 'column'.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> However, database perfectionists tend to favor using 'field' to signify a specific cell of a given row. This is to enable accuracy in communicating with other developers. Columns (really column names) being referred to as field names (common for each row/record in the table). Then a field refers to a single storage location in a specific record (like a cell) to store one value (the field value). The terms record and field come from the more practical field of database usage and traditional <a href="/facts/Dbms/VYcpkevb">DBMS</a> system usage (This was linked into business like terms used in manual databases e.g. filing cabinet storage with records for each customer). The terms row and column come from the more theoretical study of relational theory. </p><p>Another distinction between the terms 'column' and 'field' is that the term 'column' does not apply to certain databases, for instance <a href="/facts/Key%E2%80%93value_database/Yee8EIGE">key-value stores</a>, that do not conform to the traditional <a href="/facts/Relational_database/pEKGmJLy">relational database</a> structure.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Column-oriented_DBMS/RHleA9BY">Column-oriented DBMS</a>, optimization for column-centric queries</li> <li><a href="/facts/Column_(data_store)/29PQoBHp">Column (data store)</a>, a similar object used in <a href="/facts/Distributed_data_store/Raz2puRl">distributed data stores</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Row_(database)/PIpv7c9e">Row (database)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/SQL/UjQLJcYm">SQL</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Query_language/Sa6K4xXM">Query language</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Column_groups_and_row_groups/jPefnYYk">Column groups and row groups</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>The term "column" also has equivalent applications in other, more generic contexts. See e.g., Flat file database, Table (information). <a href="/wiki/Flat_file_database" target="_blank">/wiki/Flat_file_database</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Columnar databases in a big data environment". dummies.com (Big dummies book). Retrieved 2015-11-05. <a href="http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/columnar-databases-in-a-big-data-environment.html" target="_blank">http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/columnar-databases-in-a-big-data-environment.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"What is Database Column? - Definition from Techopedia". Techopedia.com. Retrieved 2015-11-05. <a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/8/database-column" target="_blank">https://www.techopedia.com/definition/8/database-column</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Rosenberg, Burton. "Relational Databases". University of Miami. Retrieved 2021-02-26. <a href="https://www.cs.miami.edu/home/burt/learning/Csc598.073/notes/reldb.html" target="_blank">https://www.cs.miami.edu/home/burt/learning/Csc598.073/notes/reldb.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"An introduction to databases". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-05. <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/manual/node1.html" target="_blank">http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/manual/node1.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Drake, Mark (August 9, 2019). "A Comparison of NoSQL Database Management Systems and Models". Digital Ocean. Retrieved 2021-02-26. <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/a-comparison-of-nosql-database-management-systems-and-models" target="_blank">https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/a-comparison-of-nosql-database-management-systems-and-models</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>