What is a database? 1

Here are some examples of databases in common use:

Address books		A list of activities at a swimming pool or club		Yellow Pages
CD catalogue			TV listings in newspapers

These are all databases on paper.

A database is a collection of data that is:

• related in some way, e.g. all today's TV programmes
• structured in some way, e.g. laid out in a table on the page.

In groups discuss the following questions.