Integrating Technology Into the Curriculum
• Home phone number
• Birth date
• Father’s first name
• Father’s last name
• Mother’s first name
• Mother’s last name
• Father’s work phone number
• Mother’s work phone number
• Emergency contact’s first name
• Emergency contact’s last name
• Emergency contact’s phone number
After you have determined which fields to use, enter several details about the fields that you are using. Some of the information that the database program requires is the particular field that each key is in (i.e., the primary field used for sorting), the size of the field (i.e., how many characters the field can hold), and what kind of information the field will hold (i.e., if it will hold numbers, values, or text). Once all of the fields and records have been stored, it is time for the database file to be put to work. The main job of a database is to provide answers to questions. In fact, one of the major components of most databases is a query tool—a special feature that lets you ask questions (queries) that will elicit useful answers from the stored data. For example, in the previously mentioned database of student information, you might want to know which students have birthdays in March. You could sort the data by last name and birth date. The database file answers your question by creating a query or sorting the records and displaying only the ones that meet your specified criteria. In addition, you can easily create forms in which you can enter, update, or display the data.
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