What do we mean when we say fields and records? Well, a table is divided into columns and rows, just like a grid in a spreadsheet program.
each column is considered a field and represents a subset of data.
each row is considered a record and represents the collection of that data.
For example, imagine a super-simple Customer table. It's divided into three columns: Name, Phone, and Email. As mentioned before, in Method terminology, each of the three columns is considered a field.
Likewise, each row in the grid, containing customers Amy, Bob, David, and Kevin. Each is considered a record.
See how these two interact? The record refers to a specific customer, and the fields determine what information is associated with that customer. You really only require a single field in order for Method to save a record, but the more fields that are associated with a record, the more specific the record becomes.
Fields can also have unique properties and characteristics. This is covered in Field Attributes and Field Types.
Record ID
It’s important to note that Method automatically assigns a unique number to each record in a table as an identifier. This number is known as the Record ID.
The Record ID is used to uniquely identify a record. So if you have two, three, or more records where all the fields are the same, they will still be distinguished by the unique Record ID.
Even if you delete the record, that unique number will never be used again in that table - the next record created after that will be assigned the next sequential number (say, 46).
NOTE: The Record ID is an important concept to understand, and is integral to customization in Method.