Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Reporting:
Query/Results for UNIX

Database terminology

You do not have to know a lot about database structures to use Results, but it is helpful if you are familiar with some database concepts and terminology. This section presents a brief introduction to some important terms and the next section describes those terms in greater detail:

A database is a collection of tables related to a broad subject area.
A table is a collection of records related to a specific subject.
A record is a collection of related information called fields.
A field is a specific unit of information.
An index is a field or combination of fields used to rapidly retrieve a particular record in a table. A primary index is the most frequently used index. Each table can have many indexes but only one primary index.
Related tables are tables that use similar fields to join one table with another. By default, Results relates two tables if one of the tables has a unique index and all fields in that unique index appear in the other table.

Results presents your information, or data, in a logical manner that is similar to how you organize paper files. For example, suppose you have many rooms filled with filing cabinets. To find a piece of data, you need to know:

Which room.
Which filing cabinet.
Which folder or card.
Where to look in the folder or on the card.

When you use Results, the terms used are different, but the logical sequence of string and searching for data is similar.