Database Fields
All databases consist of records, which in turn contain fields with unique information. For example, this small database called Wetlands contains the fields labeled record number, author, article title, journal title, and date.
| Field label | Field Information |
| Record Number |
000001 |
| Author |
Arts, Michael T. |
| Article Title |
The attenuation of ultraviolet radiation in high dissolved organic carbon waters of wetlands and lakes on the northern Great Plains. |
| Journal Title |
Journal of Wetlands |
| Date |
2000 |
| If all the database fields are searchable, you could retrieve the article by entering any keywords that might appear in that field, as in the example at the right: |
|
Database fields are necessary for accurate retrieval of information. Since article databases typically have hundreds of thousands of records, limiting a search to particular fields allows you to identify relevant records quickly. Many fields have precise rules concerning what can be searched in those fields. For example, the publication date field may allow only 4-digit numbers, such as 1998 or 2000. The author field usually requires that the last name be entered first.
Here
is an 
of
how fields can be used in searches.
Incidentally, most webpages do not have fields. When you enter the term "arts" in a Web search engine like Google or Teoma, you are searching entire Web pages for that term. It is not possible to tell a search engine to retrieve only those webpages written by someone with the last name of Arts.
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These pages were
written by Glenn Remelts.
and edited by Jeffrey L. Nyhoff and Nancy Zylstra
©2005 Calvin University (formerly Calvin College), All Rights Reserved
If you encounter technical errors, contact computing@calvin.edu.