Tables, Rows, and Columns in a Database
In a relational database, data is stored in a structured format using tables, which consist of rows and columns. This structure allows for efficient organization, access, and relationships between data.
What is a Table?
A table is a collection of related data stored in a grid format of rows and columns. Each table represents an entity — such as customers, orders, or products.
Example: A students table may store data about students enrolled in a course.
What is a Column?
A column (also called a field or attribute) defines a specific type of data stored in the table. Each column has a name and data type (e.g., VARCHAR, INT).
Example: In a students table: name, age, and email are columns.
What is a Row?
A row (also called a record) represents a single entry or instance in a table. Each row contains data values for every column in the table.
Example: One student’s information in the students table is stored as a single row.
Example Table: students
| ID | Name | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amit Sharma | 20 | amit@example.com |
| 2 | Priya Verma | 22 | priya@example.com |
Explanation: Each column (ID, Name, Age, Email) defines a field, and each row represents a student record.


