Database Fundamentals/Tables and Data Types

This lesson introduces tables and data types.

Objectives and Skills
Objectives and skills for the tables and data types portion of Microsoft Exam 98-364 Database Fundamentals include:
 * Create database objects
 * Understand tables and how to create them
 * Purpose of tables; create tables in a database by using proper ANSI SQL syntax
 * Choose data types
 * Understand what data types are, why they are important, and how they affect storage requirements

Readings

 * 1)  Table (database)
 * 2)  Field (computer science)
 * 3)  Data type
 * 4)  Data definition language

Multimedia

 * 1) Microsoft Virtual Academy: Creating Databases and Database Objects
 * 2) YouTube: Database Objects

Activities

 * 1) Create a new sample database.
 * 2) Create a new database:
 * 3) * Watch YouTube: How to Create MS SQL Database Using SQL Server Management Studio.
 * 4) * Read Microsoft: SQL Server Create a Database].
 * 5) * Create a new sample database called College using SQL Server Management Studio.
 * 6) Create tables in sample database:
 * 7) * Watch YouTube: SQL Server 2014 How to Create Tables.
 * 8) * Read Microsoft: Create Tables Using SQL Server Management Studio (Database Engine).
 * 9) * Read W3CSchools.com: SQL General Data Types.
 * 10) * Create three tables using SQL Server Management Studio named Student, Course and Instructor.
 * 11) * Add three fields (columns) into each table with applicable data types of your choice.
 * 12) **For example: Course table could include the CourseID, Description, CreditHours fields. CourseID is the primary key.
 * 13) **Student table could include the StudentID, StudentFirstName, StudentLastName fields. StudentID is the primary key.
 * 14) **Instructor table could include the InstructorID, InstructorFirstName, InstructorLastName, Department. InstructorID is the primary key.
 * 15) *For each table, insert three or five records. In the Student table, insert a student record with your first name and last name.
 * 16) *Practice displaying and examining the database tables, columns and data.

Lesson Summary

 * Each column in an SQL table declares the data type(s) that column may contain.
 * A table is a collection of related data held in a structured format within a database. It consists of fields (columns), and rows.

Key Terms

 * data type
 * table