Appendix B: Glossary
ActiveX control: A reusable software component that can be added to an application, reducing development time in the process. ActiveX is a Microsoft technology; ActiveX components can be used only by developers who work on Windows development systems.
aggregate function: A function that produces a single result based on the contents of an entire set of table rows; also called a set function.
alias: A short substitute or nickname for a table name.
applet: A small application written in the Java language, stored on a Web server that’s downloaded to and executed on a Web client that connects to the server.
application program interface (API): A standard means of communicating between an application and a database or other system resource.
assertion: A constraint that is specified by a CREATE ASSERTION statement (rather than by a clause of a CREATE TABLE statement). Assertions commonly apply to more than one table.
atomic: Incapable of being subdivided.
attribute: A component of a structured type or relation.
back end: That part of a database management system (DBMS) that interacts directly with the database.
catalog: A named collection of schemas. See also schema.
client: An individual user workstation that represents the front end of a DBMS — the part that displays information on a screen and responds to user input. See also front end.
client/server system: A multiuser system in which a central processor (the server) is connected to multiple intelligent user ...
