Field
A space allocated for a particular item of information. A
tax form, for example, contains a number of fields: one for
your name, one for your Social Security number, one for
your income, and so on. In database systems, fields are the
smallest units of information you can access. In
spreadsheets, fields are called cells
Record
In database management systems, a complete set of
information. Records are composed of fields, each of which
contains one item of information. A set of records
constitutes a file. For example, a personnel file might
contain records that have three fields: a name field, an
address field, and a phone number field
Table
Refers to data arranged in rows and columns. A spreadsheet,
for example, is a table. In relational database management
systems, all information is stored in the form of tables.
Data Base
A collection of information organized in such a way that a
computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data.
You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.