fact table

Central to a star or snowflake schema of a data warehouse, a fact table captures the data that measures a business process or operation.

field

A column in a table or query. A field in a table will typically contain a single detail about the subject of the table.

field expressions

An expression (formula) used to generate the value of a column in a query.

field properties

Settings or characteristics of a field that affect the way a field value is constrained, stored, and displayed.

flat files

A file containing one record per line. In addition, often associated with a non-normalized chunk of data that is characterized by several columns, similar to data found in a spreadsheet or table with many column headers.

foreign key

A referential constraint between fields of two tables. The foreign key describes a field or a group of fields in one table, called a child table, that refers to a field or group of fields in another table, called the parent table. The corresponding fields must be of the same data type; in addition, the fields of the parent table must be defined as a unique index. Often the primary key fields of the parent table are used.

form

A database object that is used to display andmanage data. Forms are the core of the user interface; they are what database users typically see on their monitors.

form references

A generic identification of syntax that directs an expression or code to a form object.

front end

An application that contains end-user application elements such as forms, reports, queries, macros, or modules, but does not store data pertaining to the purpose of the database.

functional specification

This relates to the human factor issues such as "What data entry forms will users need?", "What kind of reports will users need?", "Who will be using the database system?" The functional specifications for a database answers the overall usage questions for a database development project.

functional table

A table that is used to provide lookup (domain) values, create temporary storage, or store data not related to the primary purpose of the database. Examples are lookup tables, junction tables, and temporary or work tables.