Exploring the characteristics of relational data

Relational data is data that can be organized into a relational model, based on tables and their relationships.

Created in 1985 by Edgar Frank Codd, the relational model is a data storage format that models tables and the relationships between them before a database begins to receive data.

Let’s start by understanding the relational data characteristics, the basic objects that make up this approach, and the most common usage scenarios.

Tables and entities

A table is a materialized structure of an entity for storing structured data in columns and rows.

Entity is anything you want to store data on. They usually represent people, things, actions, processes, and so on. For example, CUSTOMER, PRODUCTS, SALES, and OFFICES entities can be materialized in tables within a relational database.

These columns are predetermined and configured to receive specific data types, while the rows will be the records or data present...