Database Glossary - F
More Useful Data Terms

Field

Synonymous with column. A component of a relation or table that holds a single attribute of that relation or table.
See also: Column and Attribute.

Field Migration [DB Asst]

A process that determines whether or not if a field’s value is consistent with its stated attribute and, if not, moves it or exchanges that with that of the appropriate field(s).

Field, Aggregate

A field, containing a value based on the calculated contents of an entire set of records.
See also: Aggregateand Field, Summary.

Field, Calculated

Synonymous with computed attribute, for which the value is calculated from those contained in other fields. Usually, computed fields’ values are calculated from other fields’ values that occur in the same record, while those that derive their values from across groups of records are more often termed summary fields which, in turn, contain aggregate values (See also: Field, Summary and Field, Aggregate). While calculated fields can be stored in tables, they are often generated when needed.

Field, Linking

A field used to establish the link between a parent and a child table.

Field, Summary

A calculated field that uses multiple records to compute produce counts, totals, averages, first, last, minimum, maximum and other.

Field, Transaction [DB Asst]

Ad hoc field that DB Assistant uses for performing calculations or temporarily storing data during data processing operations. Transaction fields can be assigned names by DB Assistant (by default) or specified by the user. Transaction field values can be saved or discarded when processing is concluded, and the working file is saved or exported.

File

1) The separately named unit of storage for all data, programs and indexes on most computer systems. For example, a table or a whole database may be stored in one file;
2) Term used as a synonym for relation or table in some database managers [usually smaller or older], like dBase, FoxPro, Alpha Four/Five, etc.

File, Flat

A collection of data records having minimal structure. Because the flat file system has no metadata, applications written to work with flat files must contain the equivalent of the metadata as part of the application itself.

Filter

Synonymous with persistent query.
See also: Query, Persistent.

Filter; Filtering

The act of choosing particular records while filtering out others; also referred to as selecting.
See also: Select; Selection.

Flat File

See: File, Flat.

Foreign Key

See: Key, Foreign.

Front End

That part of the DBMS that interacts directly with the user; Client.

Full Outer Join

See: Join, Full Outer.

Function, Summary

Performs operations such as total or average, across multiple records in a table or relationship, enabling you to summarize field values within the specified level of record grouping.
See also: Aggregate and Grouping Level.

Functional Dependency

A relationship between or among fields where one field is functionally dependent on another if the value of the second field determines the value of the first. (If you know the value of the second, you can determine the value of the first.)

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