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A **database** contains a collection of related items or facts arranged in a specific structure. A database can be computerized or noncomputerized. The most obvious example of a noncomputerized database is a telephone directory. Your address book is a database.
 * Microsoft Access

An electronic database is a powerful tool. Three of the most important terms to know about databases are the following:
 * Fields**: Each piece of information in the address book is stored in its own location, called a field, For example, each entry has a field for First Name, and another field for Last Name, as well as fields for Address, City, State, Zip, etc. Each unique type of information is stored in its own field
 * Records**: One full set of fields—that is, all the related information about one person or object—is called a record. Therefore, all the information for the first person is record 1, all the information for the second person is record 2, and so on.
 * Tables**: A complete collection of records makes a table. A table is made up of columns and rows. The columns are the fields. The rows are the records.

A **relational database** is a database that has several tables in it where at least two tables have the same field in them. For example, a customer table that has the customer id and an orders table that also has the customer id field. In business, a typical relational database would contain a table for each of the following: customer information, vendor information, inventory information, employee information, and order information.

Once you have the data entered into the database, you can sort the data (arranging or reordering the records, ex: alphabetically by last name), you can obtain subsets of records by creating queries (print only those people who live in the city of Hoover), and you can generate professional looking reports.

Our STI program here at school is a good example of a relational database.

Often times in the business world, you are not asked to create a database, but to manage it: enter data, create queries, reports, etc. However, in your visit to the computer lab, you will be creating your own database.

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Fake Tree Data with which to practice Tree Query Questions