One individual data value inside a record; sometimes, the same word is used for a column.
A field usually means one individual data value in a record.
For example, status = "paid" is one field value in an order record. In database conversations, people sometimes also use “field” to mean a column.
Simple Definition: A field is one piece of data inside a record.
Think of a record as one completed paper form.
Each labeled answer on that form is a field. If you place many forms side by side, the same question becomes a column.
status or total.Fields appear wherever software stores or passes structured information.
orders
────────────────────────────────────
id │ customer_id │ status │ total
42 │ 7 │ paid │ 89.00Record: the complete row for order 42.
Fields: id, customer_id, status, and total.
Field value: paid is the value stored in the status field.
A field is the individual value; a column describes the same kind of field across many records. SQL can select or change either view.
One named piece of information in a record, or sometimes the value stored there.
One category of information represented across every record in a table.
The complete group of related field values for one item.
The word “field” is used loosely in some teams. Check whether the speaker means one value, one named data item, or a whole column.
| ENGLISH TERM | 中文 | SIMPLE ENGLISH | 中文小白理解 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field | 字段 | One named piece of information within a record. | 一条记录中的一个具体数据项。 |
| Record | 记录 | A complete set of related values for one item. | 描述一个对象的一整组相关数据。 |
| Column | 列 | One type of information stored for many records. | 多条记录中保存同一种信息的一列。 |
| Row | 行 | Another common name for one record in a table. | 数据表中代表一条记录的一行。 |
| Table | 表 | A structure that stores records in rows and columns. | 用行和列保存多条记录的数据结构。 |
| Value | 值 | The actual data held by a field. | 字段里真正保存的内容。 |
| Data Type | 数据类型 | The kind of value a field can store. | 规定字段可以保存什么类型数据的规则。 |
| NULL | 空值 | A marker meaning that a value is missing or unknown. | 表示没有值或暂时不知道值，不等于零或空字符串。 |
| SQL | 结构化查询语言 | A language used to read and change relational database data. | 用来查询和修改关系型数据库数据的语言。 |
| Query | 查询 | A request to read or change data in a database. | 向数据库发出的读数据或改数据的指令。 |
A field is one individual piece of data in a record.
Across many records, the same kind of field forms a column.
When someone says “field,” confirm whether they mean a value, a named data item, or a column.