| A | B |
|---|
| batch processing | Accumulating transactions and feeding them into a computer in large batches. |
| browse | The process of finding information in a database or other data source, such as the World Wide Web. |
| centralized database | A database housed in a mainframe computer, accessible only to information-processing personnel. |
| client/server | Client programs in desktop computers send information requests through a network to server databases on mainframes, minicomputers, or desktop computers; the servers process queries and send the requested data back to the client. |
| data mining | The discovery and extraction of hidden predictive information from large databases. |
| data scrubbing (data cleansing) | The process of going through a database and eliminating records that contain errors. |
| data warehouse | An integrated collection of corporate data stored in one location. |
| database | A collection of information stored in an organized form in a computer. |
| database management system (DBMS) | A program or system of programs that can manipulate data in a large collection of files (the database), cross-referencing between files as needed. |
| database program | A software tool for organizing the storage and retrieval of the information in a database. |
| dirty data | Data records with spelling mistakes, incorrect or obsolete values, or other errors. |
| distributed database | Data strewn out across networks on several different computers. |
| export data | Transmitting records and fields from a database program to another program. |
| field | Each discrete chunk of information in a database record. |
| file manager | A program that enables users to manipulate files on their computers. |
| geographical information system (GIS) | A specialized database that combines tables of data with demographic information and displays geographic and demographic data on maps. |
| interactive processing | Interacting with data through terminals, viewing and changing values online in real time. |
| object-oriented database | Instead of storing records in tables and hierarchies, stores software objects that contain procedures (or instructions) with data. |
| privacy | Freedom from unauthorized access to one's person, or to knowledge about one's person. |
| query | An information request. |
| query language | A special language for performing queries, more precise than the English language. |
| real time | When a computer performs tasks immediately. |
| record | In a database, the information relating to one person, product, or event. |
| relational database | A program that allows files to be related to each other so that changes in one file are reflected in other files automatically. |
| report | A database printout that is an ordered list of selected records and fields in an easy-to-read form. |
| sort | Arrange records in alphabetic or numeric order based on values in one or more fields. |
| Structured Query Language (SQL) | A query language available for many different database management systems. More than a query language, SQL also accesses databases from a wide variety of vendors. |
| table | A grid of rows and columns; on many Web pages tables with hidden grids are used to align graphical images. |
