What is the difference between table, database and database?

Question

Users of databases and tables that are not IT-related, especially researchers in the natural sciences and humanities, often use the terms "database", "database" and "tables" to refer to objects other than what IT professionals refer to when using those same terms.

This difference brings communication difficulties between data users and IT professionals, making it difficult to solve the problems of the first by the second.

From what I’ve researched:

Users in other areas: have the habit of calling

• database or database: any two-dimensional object containing many rows and columns.
• tables: objects with few rows and columns containing descriptive statistical summaries of the records by groups (averages, sums, standard deviations, etc.), and which they will insert in their texts/articles.

The IT professionals they call it

• table: any two-dimensional object, with rows and columns, regardless of size.
• databases or the databases: are the sets of tables relatable by means of key variables.

Is that it? Could someone give a good explanation of this difference? It is consensual among IT professionals?

I believe that a good explanation of this distinction would be important to improve communication between data users and IT professionals. Thank you.

Answer 1

The terms are usually used more informally, but there is a more correct way to use, which does not always match the way it is used.

In general "database" is used as a contraction of "database manager system", or at least it should be that, other uses are wrong. Yes, some people use as synonymous with "database", and everyone understands, in certain circles is treated as synonymous. So database is the software that manages the data stored there. It also uses SGDB or DBMS in English. Often simplifying as DB or even BD. When it comes to something relational it is customary to use RDBMS or more rarely SGBDR.

Already the "database" is the data set that are related and are usually connected in some way as if it were a thing. These data can be varied.

To "table" is a more specific portion of the data in a database. In general it is a term used in relational databases and indicates a set of rows (also called records (informal) or tuples (academic)) that are formed by columns of data (also called fields (informal) or attributes (academic)). The "table" is like a spreadsheet. The set of several of them, in general with some relationship between them form the "database".

There are certain Sgdbs that use other terms for almost the same thing, such as "collections". Already product that calls a table form dabatabase, actually indexes as well. It is confusing, it is of rare use and in general it does not reach lay people (including there all who use strongly databases but do not deepen).

It still has the term "schema" which can have different definitions depending on where you use it. In general it is how you organize the information within a database, or all the formalities that define how the data will be stored and validated.

The truth that almost no one knows the correct terms and in fact in each area can use different terms for the same thing.

The definitions in the question, and for me I saw no significant difference between the two versions, seem to have been written by the same people wanting to use other words, do not seem different definitions, are even biased definitions for relational and not general-purpose databases.

The fact is that people know very little about databases, maybe even more than they don’t know about programming, even working with that. People use databases very intuitively, they don’t study the subject.

The subject is well studied, including in the academic area and there are formal definitions and canons. Even the most informal terms there is a lot of consensus among people who think about it, just missing people use right. It is not easy when everyone uses it wrong. I myself exchange certain terms in a wrong way, because everyone ends up understanding it anyway. There may be some specific point that there are divergences.

Answer 2

You’re absolutely right about your remark!

A bit of history...

A lot has changed and received new names over my thirty-few years of programming.

At the time, we talked a lot about databases referring to databases. Because the term, in English, for "Database" is (since that time) "Database" (something like "database").

You will not find "Databank" or "Bank of Data". That is, in principle, "Database" should not be the term.

But it was accepted and it is, in fact, the same thing. You may even find some literature that declares different, but doesn’t cling to anything. Search for international terms whenever possible.

So:

DATABASE and DATABASE is the same thing.

It would be a data repository, which can be:

• Our brain;
• Old-fashioned, a folder containing papers written with customer data, sales, products, etc.;
• A computer text file, with records of personal data, products, etc.;
• A binary, complex file, stored on the computer, containing customer data records, products, sales, etc. BUT WITHOUT NECESSARILY being active in a "database management system - DBMS", or DBMS, in English;
• This same file above, active, administered by a DBMS.
• Etc... etc... etc... etc...

TABLE Demystifying the database, let’s go to the table: A table is, in fact, a table, when there were no computers in our offices, remember? Of course! That drawing board with the striped sheet of pen with the help of a ruler, with the headings: "Product, cost, sale, margin, stock"

This representation on file, when it comes to the subject "Sgbds", is exactly the same thing. Remembering that a database may OR may NOT be normalized, which does not necessarily mean that it is right or wrong. There is case for both situations.

Although there are some rules recommended that can be followed, Sgbds do not impose that we do things in the way "normalized", "recommended". It’s free! Create a table and put it all together: customer data, address and even your purchases. It won’t be standard, but that’s another matter and it doesn’t misrepresent being a database. It’s just not standard.

Remember that the definition of "Data" is different from "Information":

Dice: "18", "Rua Santa Clara", "Verdadeiro", "0", "Sim", "RJ", "Masculine"

Information:: {André Assis, 254 Rua Santa Clara, Sex: Male}

In short:

DBMS/DBMS: Database Management System: Name assigned to computer systems responsible for making available to other systems and users one or more databases and their content(s)).

Database/Database: A repository (container) of data in any physical medium (even its mind stores in a physical medium). Consider the concept of "data". In this database, records may be stored separated by subject.

Example: "Brain" database means: If I say to you, "Football", immediately subjects and related images will appear to you. They are the specific tables on this subject Football. Hardly your brain will imagine unrelated things.

This is the traditional database: a repository of specific tables

Table: A representation of a traditional, secular table, containing data, whether or not normalized.

• Each column is a field (name, age, gender, city, state) or (brand, year, fuel, plate, color, port Qtd, mileage, value)
• Each row of this table is one registration. And the set of columns that "cut" that row, refers to an individual/unit (person or not): Example:

Registration 1: "{Audi Q3, 2020, gasoline, PPM1234, White, 4 doors, 1.000km, R$ 100.000,00}"

Record 2: "{Del Rey, 1980, gasoline, PM-1234, Silver, 2 doors, 500.000km, R$ 15.000,00}"

Record 3...

Remarks:

• An DBMS may contain 0 to n databases;
• A database can contain from 0 to n tables;
• A table must contain at least 1 field (at least in the most known Dbms). Just like in real life, otherwise it would just be a blank paper, not a table.

For more details: Normal forms (FN)

Sgbds/DBMS

Manual table (actually, "British point")