在关系数据库中，数据库表是一系列二维数组的集合，用来代表和储存数据对象之间的关系。它由纵向的列和横向的行组成，例如一个有关作者信息的名为 authors 的表中，每个列包含的是所有作者的某个特定类型的信息，比如“姓氏”，而每行则包含了某个特定作者的所有信息：姓、名、住址等等。

对于特定的数据库表，列的数目一般事先固定，各列之间可以由列名来识别。而行的数目可以随时、动态变化，每行通常都可以根据某个（或某几个）列中的数据来识别，称为候选键。

A table is a collection of related data held in a structured format within a database. It consists of fields (columns), and rows.

In relational databases and flat file databases, a table is a set of data elements (values) using a model of vertical columns (identifiable by name) and horizontal rows, the cell being the unit where a row and column intersect. A table has a specified number of columns, but can have any number of rows. Each row is identified by one or more values appearing in a particular column subset. The columns subset which uniquely identifies a row is called the primary key.