With the rise of business data-processing systems on a very large scale during the 1960s and 1970s came the development of databases and database management systems. Databases are large collections of interrelated data stored on computer disk systems...

The word "datum" is considered, according to dictionary definition, to be "an item of factual information." Multiple instances of this are denoted by the plural, "data." However, although the word should strictly be used only for plural forms, it is...

An attribute is a characteristic or a property that is inherent in an application. A myriad of attributes exist in word processing, database systems, database management systems, and DOS operating systems. In a word processing application, for example,...

The term database originated within the computing discipline. Although its meaning has been broadened by popular use, even to include non-electronic databases, this article is about computer databases. The properties and design of database systems are...

COMPUTER TOOLKIT There are quite a number of database programs available for the Palm operating system, and they all have their merits. Whether you know it or not, you use databases every day. An address book or roster is a simple database;...

This week -- dysfunctional databases and the geeks who love them. Relational databases are the pride and joy of the Web, and with these databases come relationships. It kind of makes sense, doesn't it? A relational database is a database that is...

A mother and daughter separated decades ago during El Salvador's brutal civil war have become among the first to find each other _ and the answers they longed for _ thanks to a DNA database.Angela Fillingim, 21, grew up in Berkeley knowing she had been...

The Bush administration has put a federal database containing sensitive financial information about college students off limits to lenders _ at least for now.Typically, lenders and guarantee agencies have access to the database to help determine the eligibility of an applicant for federal student aid.Education...