Explore Microsoft Access 2013 - Microsoft Access 2013 - page 25

This list is arranged in a table of columns and rows.
▪ Each column represents a ield —a specific type of information about an employee:
last name, first name, hire date, and so on.
▪ Each row represents a record —all the information about a specific employee.
If a database did nothing more than store information in a table, it would be no more use-
ful than a paper list. But because the database stores information in an electronic format,
you can manipulate the information in powerful ways to extend its usefulness.

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For example, suppose you want to find someone's phone number. You can look up this
information in a phone book, because its information is organized for this purpose. How-
ever, if you want to find the phone number of your grandmother's neighbor, a printed
phone book won't do you much good, because it isn't organized in a way that makes that
information easy to find.

Storing the information published in a phone book in a database, has the following
advantages:
▪ It takes up far less space.
▪ It costs less to reproduce and distribute.
▪ If the database is designed correctly, the information can be retrieved in many ways.
The real power of a database isn't in its ability to store information; it is in your ability to
quickly retrieve exactly the information you want from the database.