The
Relation
is the basic element in a relational data model.
Relation (file, table) is a two-dimensional table.
Attribute (i.e. field or data item) is a column in the table.
Values in a column all have the same meaning.
Tuple (i.e. record) is a row in the table.
Values of a row all relate to some thing or portion of thing.
Duplicate rows are not allowed.
Cells must be single-valued (but can be variable length).