A relational database defines database relationships in the form of tables. The tables are related to each other - based on data common to each.
Look at the following three tables "Customers", "Orders", and "Shippers" from the Northwind database:
Customers Table
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 |
Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
The relationship between the "Customers" table and the "Orders" table is the CustomerID column:
Orders Table
| OrderID | CustomerID | EmployeeID | OrderDate | ShipperID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10278 |
5 | 8 | 1996-08-12 | 2 |
| 10280 | 5 | 2 | 1996-08-14 | 1 |
| 10308 | 2 | 7 | 1996-09-18 | 3 |
| 10355 |
4 | 6 | 1996-11-15 | 1 |
| 10365 | 3 | 3 | 1996-11-27 | 2 |
| 10383 | 4 | 8 | 1996-12-16 | 3 |
| 10384 | 5 | 3 | 1996-12-16 | 3 |
The relationship between the "Orders" table and the "Shippers" table is the ShipperID column:
Shippers Table
| ShipperID | ShipperName | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speedy Express | (503) 555-9831 |
| 2 | United Package | (503) 555-3199 |
| 3 | Federal Shipping | (503) 555-9931 |
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