Data Format Refers to the way in which the contents of a data file are organised. Many data formats are specific to one software application. Most desktop database systems are able to read data from a number of formats. The theoretical model by which data are structured. Common data models include relational , network, hierarchical and object-oriented.
Data modelling is a methodology for structuring data for use in a database system .
See also ERM and RDA . Data Type A database system term that is used to define the characteristic of a particular field . The system will then expect all values in this field to conform to given rules on this type, i.e. numeric types cannot contain word characters. A generic term commonly used to describe a structured collection of data. Databases can take many forms including unstructured full text, images, maps, statistics or a mixture of data sources.