Summary

In this chapter, you learned the basics of databases and SQL Server. A database is an organized collection of information. A relational database is a collection of related information that has been organized into structures known as tables. Each table contains rows that are further organized into columns.

The system used to manage the information in the database is known as the database management system. In the case of an electronic database in a computer, the database management system is the software that manages the information in the computer's memory and files. One example of such software is SQL Server. You saw how to start a SQL Server database, and how to use Enterprise Manager to explore the Northwind database.

Typically, each table in a database has one or more columns that uniquely identify each row in the table. This column is known as the primary key for the table. Tables can be related to each other through foreign keys.You saw how to query the rows in a table and create a new table using Enterprise Manager.

In the next chapter, you'll learn how to use the Structured Query Language.