level 4Databases
Row
also: rows
One horizontal line in a table, holding the details of a single item, like one customer or one order.
a bit more technical
A single entry in a table, with one value for each of the table's columns. Rows are usually identified by a primary key. "Row" describes the table layout; "record" is the more general word for the same entry.
picture it
One line on a class register: one student's name, age and phone number, read left to right.
why it matters
Agents report changes in rows: "3 rows updated", "0 rows returned". Those numbers tell you whether a change did what you expected, or quietly touched far more data than it should have.
what your agent might say
The update affected 0 rows, which means no booking matched that ID. Nothing was changed.
how you might use it
Before running this update, tell me how many rows it will change. If it's more than one, stop and show me which ones.
common mistake
Mixing up rows and columns. A row is one item, going across. A column is one kind of detail, going down, like the email of every user.
builds on
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