4. Flat file database

As mentioned on the previous page - a database is made up of one or more tables.

When there is only a single table in the database, this is called a 'flat file database'.

A flat file database looks something like this:-

ID Title First name Surname Address City Postcode Telephone
1 Mr Tom Smith 42 Mill Street London WE13GW 010344044
2 Mrs Sandra Jones 10 Low Lane Hull HU237HJ 022344033
2 Mr John Jones 10 Low Lane Hull HU237HJ 022344033

A flat file database is an excellent way of storing a relatively small amount of records ( few thousand perhaps).

For example a spreadsheet application such as Excel can be used as a flat file database. Each row in a worksheet can be a record and each column, a field. The worksheet is effectively a table.

spreadsheet flatfile

 

Flat file database can also be stored in a dedicated database application such as Access

access flat file database

 

 

Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you

Click on this link: Flat file database

 

 

 

 

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