SSCA1030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Relational Model, Atomic Domain, Database
Document Summary
A relational database consists of a collection of tables, each of which is assigned a unique name. A table is a collection of such relationships, there is a close correspondence between the concept of table and the mathematical concept of relation, from which the relational data model takes its name. In mathematical terminology, a tuple is simply a sequence (or list) of values. A relationship between n values is represented mathematically by an n-tuple of values, i. e. , a tuple with n values, which corresponds to a row in a table. Thus, in the relational model the term relation is used to refer to a table, while the term tuple is used to refer to a row. Similarly, the term attribute refers to a column of a table. We use the term relation instance to refer to a specific instance of a relation, i. e. , containing a specific set of rows.
