lesson
One item, several attributes
1 · Learn
A flat-file database can organise records in a single table. A record describes one item; fields hold attributes such as title, category and page count for an invented book collection.
Use consistent field meanings and suitable data types. Page count is numerical; a title is text. A code that contains digits may still be text if it is an identifier rather than a quantity to calculate.
2 · Worked example
I store the invented code 0042 as an identifier, preserving its leading zeros, rather than treating it as the count forty-two.
3 · Your turn
Why should a page-count field use a consistent numerical meaning rather than entries such as 'quite long'?
Check your answer
Consistent numbers can be sorted, compared and calculated. Vague text cannot reliably answer a numerical page-count question.
4 · Apply your learning
Create a small invented collection in an approved database tool. Name fields clearly and avoid real pupils' personal data.
Adult guidance and safety
Use adult-approved offline or school-managed tools, invented data and original media. Keep projects private unless sharing is explicitly approved. Paper traces support, but do not replace, practical programming and saved digital work. No real passwords or personal records belong in these exercises.
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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward
Use this only when your teacher or adult allows a calculator for the task. Show your thinking first. It does not replace mental or written arithmetic and does not mark your lesson answer.
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