What is the difference between a flat file database and a spreadsheet?
A flat file database usually refers to a simple text file. Each line in the file is one record in the database. The line might be divided up into fields separated by a common character like tab or comma. The order and location of the fields on a line determine the meaning behind each field. The first line in the file might be used to identify a name for each field. A sample record might be address such as: G Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. Flat files can be edited directly with tools like word processors or can be used and manipulated in some automated way by appropriate programs. A spreadsheet refers to a file generated by a specific spreadsheet tool (like Miscrosoft Excel) that can also arrange information but provides many more features that make it useable in many different ways. The key capability of a spreadsheet is the ability to make the information in one cell (field) in the spreadsheet relate in some way to other cells in the sheet. Spreadsheets can manage data
