Row (database)
single, implicitly structured data item in a table in a relational database; every row in a table has the same structure (set of columns)
In a relational database, a row or "record" or "tuple", represents a single, implicitly structured data item in a table. A database table can be thought of as consisting of rows and columns. Each row in a table represents a set of related data, and every row in the table has the same structure.
For example, in a table that represents companies, each row might represent a single company. Columns might represent things like company name, address, etc. In a table that represents the association of employees with departments, each row would associate one employee with one department.
The implicit structure of a row, and the meaning of the data values in a row, requires that the row be understood as providing a succession of data values, one in each column of the table. The row is then interpreted as a relvar composed of a set of tuples, with each tuple consisting of the two items: the name of the relevant column and the value this row provides for that column.
Each column expects a data value of a particular type.
For example, one column might require a unique identifier, another might require text representing a person's name, another might require an integer representing hourly pay in dollars.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Row (database)” as single, implicitly structured data item in a table in a relational database; every row in a table has the same structure (set of columns). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as single, implicitly structured data item in a table in a relational database; every row in a table has the same structure (set of columns). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 5, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q1366302. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Row (database)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.