Data Storage Hierarchy in a Database with Diagram

Data are the principal resources of an organization. Data stored in computer system form a hierarchy extending from a single bit to a database. So data are logically organized into:

    1.       Bits

    2.       Byte/Character

    3.       Fields

    4.       Records

    5.       Files

    6.       Databases

1.       Bits:

Bit is a smallest unit of data representation. Eight bits make a byte which can represent a character or a special symbol in a character code.

2.       Byte/Character:

The combination of related bits is called byte.

3.       Fields:

A field consists of a grouping of characters. A data field represents an attribute (characteristic or quality) of some entity (object, person, place or event).

4.       Records:

A Record represents a collection of attributes that describe a real world entity. A record consists of fields with each filed describing an attribute of the entity.

5.       Files:

Group of related records is called file. Files are frequently classified by the application for which they are primarily used.

6.       Database:

Database is an integrated collection of logically related records or files. A database consolidates records that provide data for many applications. The data is managed by systems software called database management systems. The data stored in a database is independent of the application programs using it and of the types of secondary storage devices on which it is stored.

Diagram of Data storage Hierarchy in a database: