A database is an organized collection of related information. It does not have to be kept on a computer. An address book or telephone directory are everyday examples.
If a university keeps details of its lecturers in a card file box, it might look like Figure 1.
Figure 1 - A Card-File Database
In computing terms, the entire card-file box is a table, each card is a record and the space for each item of information such as "Tutor No." is a field. Related tables can be kept together in a database.
