Typically, they’ll make a list containing customers details (table 1), a list of the invoices sent to customers (table 2), a list of suppliers (table 3) and a record of purchases (table 4). Most businesses use databases of this kind. A relational database is more useful, since you can keep numerous sets of records, each of which is known as a table, and then set up relationships between the fields inside them.

The simple documents considered above are known as flat databases, since they contain a single set records. A grand summary, on the other hand, uses a formula that works with chosen fields in all of the records. For example, a summary calculation uses a formula to produce a value calculated from specific fields, but only in the selected records. You can also generate extra data from records that have been selected. Most database applications let you select records manually or you can automatically select records that meet specific criteria, usually based on the contents of specific fields.

As shown here, you can click on a selected field to fully reveal its contents. The presentation in this layout isn’t too elegant, although it gives a useful overview of the data.

Records database for mac