In a database what is an entity?
WhatIs.com Definitions Database A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images. Entity In general, an entity (pronounced N-tih-tee ) is an existing or real thing. The word root is from the Latin, ens , or being, and makes a distinction between a thing's existence and its qualities. An entity exists and that's all it needs to do to be an entity. The fact that something exists also seems to connote separateness from other existences or entities. In programming, engineering, and probably many other contexts, the word is used to identify units, whether concrete things or abstract ideas, that have no ready name or label. In blackboard discussions, one can draw something as yet unnamed and refer to that drawing as the representation of an "entity." (If the entity being discussed later gets ascribed qualities and a name, reference to it as an "entity" may no longer be useful.)