|
Below is an explanation of terminology used in Database Workbench and the documentation. Italic words signal for another term explained in this appendix.
Click the alphabet letter to go to the section:
A
|
|
ADO
|
ActiveX Data Objects - a set of interfaces, defined by Microsoft, for universal data-access.
|
B
|
|
BLOB
|
Binary Large OBject - a bunch of binary data, sometimes also used for large pieces of text.
|
C
|
|
CLOB
|
Character Large OBject - basically a character/text BLOB.
|
Connection
|
A channel, usually via a network, to send instructions to a database engine in the context of a particular database. It's also possible to establish a connection to the server, without the context of a database.
|
Context Menu
|
The Windows operating system supports a "context menu" which can be reached by using the secondary mouse button (for right-handed people, usually the right mouse button). The menu will pop op (if available) with functionality that applies to the current "context" - that is, functionality that applies to the current window, tree-node etc... Also Popup Menu.
|
D
|
|
Database
|
| 1. | A collection of tables, views, constraints etc ("database objects"), also Schema |
| 2. | A "database server", a process that accepts user requests to insert, modify or delete information from a database. |
|
Database Engine
|
An application/service that allows you to use a database. See also Server.
|
Database Object
|
See Object.
|
DDL
|
Data Definition Language - the SQL-like statements needed to create metadata objects.
|
Delimited Identifier
|
Delimited, enclosed by double quotes - "example" - or sometimes square brackets - [example] - are often used to use keywords or reserved words as object names. In some database engines, using delimited identifiers also makes the identifiers case sensitive. Also Quoted Identifier.
|
E
|
|
External Function
|
An certain piece of functionality written in a host-language, instead of the database engine language, that can be used from within a database. Usually a shared library (DLL in Windows, SO in Linux). Also UDF.
|
Extended Stored Procedure
|
The MS SQL Server term for an External Function.
|
F
|
|
|
|
G
|
|
Generator
|
See Sequence.
|
H
|
|
Host
|
A PC machine, albeit your own local machine or a remote server machine, reachable via your network. See also Server.
|
I
|
|
Identifier
|
An object name for a certain database object, eg: table, view or index. See also Delimited Identifier.
|
J
|
|
|
|
O
|
|
Object
|
"Things" that can reside in your database or schema. Think of Tables, Views, Indices etc... Also Database Object.
|
Object Editor
|
A specialized window to create, alter and drop specific Database Objects.
|
ODBC
|
Open Database Connectivity - a call-level interface for universal data access, defined by Microsoft.
|
P
|
|
Popup Menu
|
See Context Menu.
|
Q
|
|
Quoted Identifier
|
See Delimited Identifier
|
R
|
|
|
|
S
|
|
Schema
|
A collection of tables, views, constraints etc ("schema objects"), also Database.
|
Sequence
|
A specialized database object to generate unique, sequential numbers. Also Generator.
|
Server
|
| 1. | Server machine: a seperate PC with a database server process running |
| 2. | A database server process |
|
SQL
|
Structured Query Language - (one of) the language(s) used to execute instructions and queries on a database engine.
|
Statement
|
A single SQL or DDL instruction.
|
T
|
|
|
|
U
|
|
UDF
|
User Defined Function - the InterBase and Firebird term for an External Function.
|
V
|
|
|
|
|