Introduction to Tables


Tables Fundamentals



A table is a list of values. All of the values can be of the same type. If the values are of different types, they should be organized in various categories. Each category is then called a column.

Here is an example of a table:

Name Age Gender Relationship
Judie 18 Female Sister
Ernest 24 Male Cousin
Bill 52 Unknown Uncle
David 36 Male Brother
Hermine 12 Unknown Niece

You can create your own table or use a table created by someone else.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Starting a Database

  1. To launch Oracle, click Start -> (All) Programs -> Oracle - OraDb11g_home1 -> Application Development -> SQL Plus
  2. Enter the username and press Enter
  3. Enter the password and press Enter

Creating a Table

A table organizes its information in categories called columns and horizontal arrangements called records or rows. A column holds a category of data that is common to all records. There are two primary requirements you must fulfill to get a table:

  • You must create a table
  • The new table must have at least one column

This means that you cannot create a table without defining at least one column.

To complete the creation of a table, you must name it. To name a table, follow the same rules we reviewed for variables.

To create a table, you start with the following statement:


The CREATE TABLE expression is required. The TableName factor specifies the name of the new table. After specifying the name of the table, you must create at least one column. 

Tables Maintenance

Table maintenance consists of reviewing or changing its aspects. This includes reviewing the list of tables of a database, renaming a table, or deleting it.


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