Re: RDBS Terminology: Recap

[Chuck Blessing <chuck -dot- blessing -at- CBIS -dot- COM>]

Melonie wrote on 5/13/96:
>The majority says stay with relational database
>terminology (rows and columns). I think I will
>do this with ALOT of explanation for our readers.

>One more question--the single block formed by
>an intersection of a row and a column, in a Word
>or Frame table this is called a cell. However, the
>programmers tell me you call both this single block
>and the column a "column". That, I know, will not
>fly with my readers.

If you properly explain rows and columns (most everyone is familiar with
tables) to your readers then calling the intersection a column should not
really be confusing. Actually, you are not calling the intersection a column.
It may seem that you are because you are discussing one row at a time. If you
were discussing one column at a time, you would call the intersection a row.
Just think of it as a one row table. Since you have already decided to use
relational terminology, I would use "column" and not introduce additional
terminology.

Chuck

*********************************
Chuck Blessing
Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, Inc. (CBIS)
Cincinnati, Ohio
chuck -dot- blessing -at- cbis -dot- com
- OR -
cjb -at- one -dot- net

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