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what are the characteristics of a field?? (1 Viewer)

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what are the characteristics of a field??
i just defined wat a field was.....and that it usually consists o a data type of text.......i can uniquely identify a record (primary key).......wat the hell did we have to say for that??
 

Andrew_Blackwel

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The question stated

Q16 (b) (i) Identify the characteristics of a field in a database

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Basically it asked u to explain what a field is used for. You could explain the different parts but really a simple defintion of a field would be good enough.

A space allocated for a particular item of information. A tax form, for example, contains a number of fields: one for your name, one for your Social Security number, one for your income, and so on. In database systems, fields are the smallest units of information you can access. In spreadsheets, fields are called cells.
Most fields have certain attributes associated with them. For example, some fields are numeric whereas others are textual, some are long, while others are short. In addition, every field has a name, called the field name.

In database management systems, a field can be required, optional, or calculated. A required field is one in which you must enter data, while an optional field is one you may leave blank. A calculated field is one whose value is derived from some formula involving other fields. You do not enter data into a calculated field; the system automatically determines the correct value.

A collection of fields is called a record.
 

Winston

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Yep that's how i answered it, as well as talking about the allocation of a specific data type for each field, i.e. text, numeric values only etc.
 

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