going from flat files to relational database

The branch file with details about branch and its respective teacher is given below − Branchĭifference with respect to data retrievalĭata retrieval is the process of identifying and extracting data from a database, based on a query given by the user.įlat files − Data in flat files are stored in an unstructured way because of which retrieval becomes difficult.įor example − A bunch of different vegetables are placed in one big basket. It is easy to look into a single place to get all required data.įor example − In a database, data is stored in multiple linked tables.Ĭonsider the student file as shown below − Student There arises a question as to who is ECE branch teacher.ĭatabase − Data related to the same is stored in one single place. We can also see that in the above table, there exists a problem of inconsistency with regards to the flat files. In the flat file, the storage space is wasted. Since data is spread across files it is a time-consuming process to look into all files to get the required data.Īn example for the data stored in one file is as follows − Student

An example of data storage is a folder for storing Microsoft Word documents.įlat files − File size is limited and we need many files to store relevant data. Differencesįollowing are the differences between flat files and database:ĭata storage is a way of keeping information in the memory storage for use by a computer. The related information when placed in an organized form that makes a database or an organized collection of related information is called a database.įor example − Dictionary, Telephone directory etc. Generally, it is a type of database that stores data in a plain text format. A flat file represents a table with a single record per line.

They are typically called as a text file, where all word processing, structure characters and markup have been removed.

Let’s discuss flat and database definition before understanding the difference between flat files and databases.Ī flat file contains records which have no structured interrelationship.

Going from flat files to relational database