What Is a Database?
A database is an organised collection of data kept so that it can be searched, updated and shared safely. A spreadsheet can hold a list; a database holds many related lists, lets many people use them at once, keeps them consistent, and finds a record among millions in a blink.
The program that manages it is a database management system (DBMS): SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle. Most are relational: data lives in tables of rows and columns, and tables are linked by shared values. You talk to them in SQL (Structured Query Language).
In this course the databases live in memory and are created by Python's built-in sqlite3 module, so every example runs right here in your browser.
What do we call the software that manages a database?
Create the table pets with columns id and name, insert 'Rex' and 'Mia' (the id fills in itself), then print how many rows the table holds.
Finish the quick check (and any code exercise) to complete this lesson, or mark it done yourself.
Tip: use the left and right arrow keys to move between lessons.