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ChemOffice.Com - CambridgeSoft

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The Database Model<br />

A database is a collection of information. In<br />

ChemFinder the information is organized into<br />

increasing levels of complexity. At the simplest<br />

level is the data item itself, for example the,<br />

molecular weight of furan.<br />

A record is a set of related data items, one per field,<br />

representing a single entry in the database.<br />

The data item is stored within a field, in this<br />

example “MolWeight.” A field contains<br />

information of a specific type. For example, a field<br />

can contain numeric, text, or structure information.<br />

A collection of records is a table. A table is defined<br />

by a set of fields, generally set up once and rarely<br />

modified, and a set of records which grows as<br />

entries are added.<br />

ChemFinder<br />

In spreadsheet terminology:<br />

• A data item is found in a cell.<br />

• A field corresponds to a column.<br />

• A record corresponds to a row.<br />

• A table corresponds to a worksheet.<br />

A database is a storehouse for tables–possibly one,<br />

possibly more than one. A database containing only<br />

one table is known as a simple (or flat or flat-file)<br />

database.<br />

Databases containing multiple tables are called<br />

relational. Relational databases are discussed<br />

further in Chapter 19, “Relational Data and<br />

Subforms” on page 277.<br />

<strong>ChemOffice</strong> 2005/ChemFinder ChemFinder Basics • 227<br />

Using ChemFinder with Databases

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