Database Row

What Does Database Row Mean?

In relational databases, a row is a data record within a table. Each row, which represents a complete record of specific item data, holds different data within the same structure.

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A row is occasionally referred to as a tuple.

Techopedia Explains Database Row

Database tables generally look similar to a spreadsheet. Relational tables have a very similar but more complex structure, as each table column represents a certain table property.

For example, a table called CUSTOMER_MASTER might store basic customer data. It could contain a CUSTOMER_LASTNAME column, which, as the name implies is used to store the last name of customers. This column may have certain parameters, such as each surname must be 30 characters or less and only comprised of alphabetical characters. Thus, each customer surname added to the CUSTOMER_MASTER table must meet these parameters.

However, each complete customer row or record also includes other items (such as first name, physical address, email address, date of birth and gender, etc). Like a spreadsheet, each item is neatly slotted into designated corresponding columns. Thus, each customer row or record is one horizontal line of data that holds a collection of items.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…