"Albert D. Kallal" <Pl************ *******@msn.com > wrote in message
news:22AQc.1893 2$M95.15728@pd7 tw1no...
If there is no data, no tables and no data engine, then it really can't be
a database...can it?
I think you're splitting hairs. What you're arguing sounds like something
out of "Computer Metaphysics 101," where a bunch of students sit around
asking questions like WHAT IS A DATABASE? Or maybe, WHEN IS A DATABASE NOT
A DATABASE?
"Database" is just a general term to describe an assortment of files
(programs, libraries, etc.) that work together to achieve a desired result.
It makes no difference if the files are all from the same vendor and come on
one CD or if they come from many vendors on many CDs.
Look at it this way. If you bought a car you'd expect it to have an engine
right? Why? Because it won't function without an engine. But it would
still be a car. What else can you call it?
Microsoft throws in one or two engines with every copy of Access so they can
call Access a "database."
According to Google, definitions of "database" on the Web:
an organized body of related information
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn
A collection of data: part numbers, product codes, customer information,
etc. It usually refers to data organized and stored on a computer that can
be searched and retrieved by a computer program. Back to Top
support.sbcglob al.net/general/662.shtml
A data structure that stores metadata, i.e. data about data. More
generally, an organized collection of information.
http://www.informatics.jax.org/mgiho...glossary.shtml
A collection of information organized and presented to serve a specific
purpose. (A telephone book is a common database.) A computerized database is
an updated, organized file of machine readable information that is rapidly
searched and retrieved by computer.
http://www.libraries.uc.edu/help/how.../glossary.html
An organized collection of information in computerized format.
www.lib.umd.edu/UES/er_glossary.html
a computerized collection of information.
altweb.jhsph.ed u/education/glossary.htm
A collection of related information. All the data about a calf crop might
be called a database. See DBMS.
www.oznet.ksu.edu/ed_asi490/Glossary/cgw.htm
A collection of information, usually stored in an electronic format that
can be searched by a computer.
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/rguides/st.../glossary.html
Any organized collection of information; it may be paper or electronic.
www.library.arizona.edu/rio/glossary.htm
- can be as simple as a card file; a collection of information stored in a
computer medium that can be easily accessed and manipulated.
www.usps.com/directmail/glossary.htm
A specific collection of information. Most sites typically have a single
database for their full text collections, with separate databases for
abstract databases. Download The action of saving information to your disk,
whether permanent or temporary, for personal reference or use.
scienceserver.c ilea.it/help/default/glossary.htm
1. Any collection of information on a specific subject or area.
Specifically, a computerized collection of such information. 2. A computer
program designed to store such information.
www.hometravelagency.com/dictionary/ltrd.html
a database is an organized collection of information or data. The Swansea
Voyager catalogue is a database of library stock and we have access to other
databases, such as Web of Science, which can help you to find information on
a topic. Our subject services page can help you to select a database.
http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/help_and_t...g/glossary.asp
(MySQL)-A collection of organized information in which a computer can
easily display and select different fields of data. You can think of a
database as an electronic filing system. You can include anything from
birthdays to travel itinerary in a database. MySQL is the database
management system we feature at Thelix. Back to Top
www.thelix.net/support/faq/glossary.htm
A collection of related information about a subject organized in a useful
manner that provides a base or foundation for procedures such as retrieving
information, drawing conclusions, and making decisions.
www.ascld-lab.org/aslab022.html
A shared collection of logically related data, designed to meet the
information needs of multiple users in an organization. The term database is
often erroneously referred to as a synonym for a "database management system
(DBMS)". They are not equivalent. A database is a store of data that
describe entities and the relationships between the entities. A database
management system is the software mechanism for managing that data.
www.gtscompanies.com/glosscomp.html
A collection of data or information. As the term is usually employed in
on-line information retrieval, it refers to a collection of records.
http://www.chin.gc.ca/English/Collec.../glossary.html
A set of related information created, stored, or manipulated by a
computerized management information system.
www.nrc.gov/site-help/eie/terms_id.html
Related information stored in one location in a digital format. Dependant
upon the software used to manage a database, minimally, information can be
added to, retrieved from and sorted.
www.cren.net/crenca/glossary/cpglossary.html
A database is a collection of data, typically organized to make common
retrievals easy and efficient. Some common database programs include Oracle,
Sybase, Postgres, Informix, Filemaker, etc.
www.saugus.net/Computer/terms.shtml
A collection of related types of data in a single file or set of files for
sorting, analysing, and reporting.
knight.city.ba. k12.md.us/ib/glossary.htm
One or more structured sets of persistent data, usually associated with
software (a database management system) to update and query the data. In
AIPS++, the Table system is used to enable a database. A simple database
might be a single file containing many records, each of which contains the
same set of fields where each field is a certain fixed width. A more complex
relational database allows the definition of data structures, storage and
retrieval operations, and integrity constraints. In such a database, the
data and relations between them are organized in tables.
aips2.nrao.edu/docs/glossary/d.html
D Database - an organized collection of information (e.g. ERIC, The
Catalogue).
library.usask.c a/tutorials/basics/tutorial/gloss.html
a collection of information in electronic format. Some databases have
bibliographical information relating to books, articles, and other published
material. Other databases provide numeric or statistical information. [Find
out more about the databases available from Memorial at MUN Libraries:
Databases.]
http://www.mun.ca/library/research_h.../glossary.html
is an organized collection of information stored on a computer. With
Optix, a database is an organized collection of electronic documents stored
on a computer. The database is structured to facilitate the search and
retrieval of information contained in the database.
www.mindwrap.com/support/glossary.html
A collection of stored data.
www.jcaho.org/lwapps/shared/glossary.htm