data element
The fundamental data structure in a data processing system. Any unit of data defined for processing is a data element; for example, ACCOUNT NUMBER, NAME, ADDRESS and CITY. A data element is defined by size (in characters) and type (alphanumeric, numeric only, true/false, date, etc.). A specific set of values or range of values may also be part of the definition.
Technically, a data element is a logical definition of data, whereas a field is the physical unit of storage in a record. For example, the data element ACCOUNT NUMBER, which exists only once, is stored in the ACCOUNT NUMBER field in each customer record and in the ACCOUNT NUMBER field in each order record. See field.
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| The Basic Unit of Storage |
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| Technically, data elements describe the logical unit of data, fields are the actual storage units, and data items are the individual instances of the data elements as in this example. In everyday language, all three terms are used interchangeably. It's only when you read technical documentation on database management that you run across the proper use of these terms. |
data element [′dad·ə ‚el·ə·mənt]
(computer science)
A set of data items pertaining to information of one kind, such as months of a year.
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