Databases

A database is where you can save, sort and edit data. You probably use a lot of databases on a weekly basis without even recognising that you are using one.
Your mobile phone is made up of many databases - there is one for your contacts, one for your music player, to name but two!
Many websites run on a database, but as they have a website on the front of it so that you don't see it (Think about Amazon - it knows how many of the item are in stock, it knows this because it is connected to a database).

Table
This is where the data is held. You can add, edit and delete data from the table.
This help sheet shows you how to add, change and delete data in a database.

Query
This is where you search the tables for specific information (Example: You might want to find all of the females in a database).
If you want to find more than one thing at the same time (Example: You might want to find all of the females who are over 18 to offer them a promotion if they buy online - the two things are "females" and "over 18") then this is called a complex query.
This link has a video and also a written explanation as to the kind of data you might want to search for.
This help sheet shows you how to make a query.

Report
This is where you display the data for people to see. You can create many different types of report, including address labels. The report needs to be clear and easy to understand as it might be shared with a manager, or a customer.
This help sheet shows you how to make a report.
This help sheet shows you how to make a report in the style of address labels.


Form
This is the user interface of the database, this means that it looks prettier than a table and it is easier for people to understand and use. The end user (the people who end up using it) will never see the tables but instead they will do everything through the forms. Forms normally have buttons on them and allow the user to add, edit and delete data, as well as get to the different parts of the database - such as the reports.
This help sheet shows you how to make a form.

Mail Merge
This is where you link the database to another program, often a word processing program such as Microsoft Word.
Instead of typing out each persons address when you want to send a letter out, a mail merge allows you to quickly send it to all the people in your table or query.
This link shows you how to do a mail merge.