In this section, we shall deal with the concept or file and their relationship. Many operating system consider files as a collection of bytes. At a higher level, where the content of the file is being considered, these binary digits may represent integer values or text characters, or anything else. It is up to the program using the the file to understand. The meaning and inertnal layout of information in the file and present it to auser as more meaningful information like ( Text, image, sounds ).
At any instant in time, a file might have a size, normally expressed in bytes, that indicates how much storage is associated with the file. In most modern operating systems the size can be any whole number up to a system limit. However, the generaldefinition of file does not require that it's instant size has any real meaning, unless the data within the file happens to correspond to data within a pool of persistent storage.

Information in a computer file can consist of smaller packets of information, often called "record" or "lines" that are individually different but share some trait in common. For example, a payroll file might contain information concerning all the employees in a company and their payroll details; each record in the payroll file concerns just one employee, and all the records have the common trait of being related to payroll. This is very similar to placing all payroll information into a specific filing cabinet in an office that does not have a computer. A text file may contain lines of text, corresponding to printed lines on a pieces of paper.
 
 Alternatively, a file may contain an arbitrary binary image (aBLOB) or it may contain an executable.

The way information is grouped into a file is entirely up to the person designing the file. In most cases, computer programs that are executed on the computer handle these operations, but the use of a computer can also manipulate files if necessary. For instance, Microsoft word files are normally created and modified by the Microsoft wordprograms in, response to user commands, but the user can also move, rename, or delete these files directly by using a file manager program such as windows explorer. In Unix-like systems, user space processes do not normally deal with files at all; the operating system provides a level of abstraction which means that almost all interaction with files from user space is through hard link. Hard links allows a name to be associated with a file ( or the they can be anonymous- and therefore temporary ); files do not have names in the  OS. For example, a user space program cannot delete a file, it can delete a link to a file ( for example, using the shell commands RM or MV or in the  anonymous case, simply by exiting ), and if the kernel determines that there are no more existing likes to the files, but it serves to handle all user space programs.
 

Bit


A bit is simply defined as binary digits, that 0's and 1's. The bit is the smallest unit of storage.

A bit is a binary digit, taking a value of either 0 or 1. Binary digits are a basic unit of information storage and communication in digital computing and digital information theory. Information theory also often used the natural digit, called either a not or a nat.

Binary digit


Claude E. Shannon first used the word bit in his 1948 paper a mathematical theory of communication. He attributed it's origin to John W. Turkey, who had written a ball Labsmemo on 9 January 1947 in which he contracted " binary digit" to simply "bit" interestingly, vannevar Bush had written in 1936 of "bits of information" that could bestored on the punch cards used in the mechanical computers of that time.

Identifying and Organizing Files


File is the collection of organized and related record. Files and folders arranged in hierarchy .files are typically accessed using names ( file names ). In some operating systems, the name is associated with the file it self. In others the file is anonymous, and is pointed to by links that have names. In the latter case , a user can identify the name of the link with the file itself, but this is a false analogue, especially where there exists more than one link to the same file.

Files or links to files can be located in directories. However more generally, a directory can contain either a list of files or a list of links to files. Within this definition, it is of important that the term "file" includes directories. This permit the existence of directory hierarchies, i.e., directories containing subdirectories. A name that refers to a file within a directory must be unique. In other words , there must be no identical name within a directory. However, in some operating systems, a name may include a specification of type that means a directory can contain an identical name for more than one type of objects such as a directory and a file.

In environments in which a file is named, a file's name and the path to the files directory must uniquely identify it among all other files in the computer system, No  two files can have the same name and path. Where a file is anonymous, named reference's to it will exist within a name space.

Character


A character is the smallest unit of information. It includes latter's, digits and special characters such as; =, +, %, &, -, *, etc.

Field


A field is made up of characters, or simply defined as a combination of characters. It's an attribute that can be assigned values for example, first name, age, gender, date of birth, etc.

Record


A record is the collection of organized and related fields.

Database


Is the collection of organized and related files. For instance, the collection of staff-file, student-file and equipment-file of an institution is referred to as the INSTITUTION'S DATABASE.This collection of an organized for storage in a computer memory and designed for easy access by authorized users. The data may be in form of text, numbers, or encoded Graphics. This topic will be continued in our Next upload that will give more vitals update's on this topic.