{"id":9422,"date":"2026-06-02T10:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=9422"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:07:09","slug":"what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Structure of the Relational Database Model?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relational database model was introduced in 1970 by Edgar F. Codd. In his groundbreaking paper, he proposed organizing data into tables consisting of rows and columns rather than using hierarchical or navigational data structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This approach became the foundation of modern relational database management systems (RDBMS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Basic_Components_of_a_Relational_Database\" >Basic Components of a Relational Database<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Tables\" >Tables<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Primary_Keys\" >Primary Keys<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Foreign_Keys\" >Foreign Keys<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Example_of_a_Relational_Database\" >Example of a Relational Database<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Customers_Table\" >Customers Table<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Orders_Table\" >Orders Table<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Data_Integrity_Rules\" >Data Integrity Rules<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Entity_Integrity\" >Entity Integrity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Referential_Integrity\" >Referential Integrity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Data_Domains_and_Constraints\" >Data Domains and Constraints<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Physical_Data_Independence\" >Physical Data Independence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Logical_Data_Independence\" >Logical Data Independence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-the-structure-of-the-relational-database-model\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Basic_Components_of_a_Relational_Database\"><\/span>Basic Components of a Relational Database<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1952415322\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A relational database is built from one or more tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tables\"><\/span>Tables<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A table stores a specific type of information, such as customers, products, or orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each table consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Columns (attributes) \u2013 define the type of data stored<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rows (records) \u2013 contain individual data entries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a customer table may contain the following columns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Name<\/th><th>Email<\/th><th>Phone Number<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each row represents a unique customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Primary_Keys\"><\/span>Primary Keys<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every table should contain a primary key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A primary key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uniquely identifies each record<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cannot contain duplicate values<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cannot be empty (NULL)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Name<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1001<\/td><td>John Smith<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1002<\/td><td>Jane Doe<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this case, <code>Customer ID<\/code> is the primary key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Foreign_Keys\"><\/span>Foreign Keys<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A foreign key creates a relationship between two tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It contains values that reference the primary key of another table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Customers Table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Name<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1001<\/td><td>John Smith<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Orders Table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Order ID<\/th><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Product<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>5001<\/td><td>1001<\/td><td>Laptop<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <code>Customer ID<\/code> in the Orders table is a foreign key linking the order to the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Example_of_a_Relational_Database\"><\/span>Example of a Relational Database<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A simple business database might contain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Customers_Table\"><\/span>Customers Table<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Name<\/th><th>Email<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Orders_Table\"><\/span>Orders Table<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Order ID<\/th><th>Customer ID<\/th><th>Product<\/th><th>Order Date<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using these relationships, different users can generate different reports from the same data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A sales manager can view customer purchases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An accounting manager can review invoices and payments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A support team can access customer contact information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Data_Integrity_Rules\"><\/span>Data Integrity Rules<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Relational databases use rules to maintain data accuracy and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Entity_Integrity\"><\/span>Entity Integrity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Entity integrity ensures that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Every table has a primary key<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Primary key values are unique<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Primary key values cannot be NULL<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Referential_Integrity\"><\/span>Referential Integrity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Referential integrity ensures that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Every foreign key value corresponds to an existing primary key value<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relationships between tables remain valid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orphaned records are prevented<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, an order cannot reference a customer that does not exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Data_Domains_and_Constraints\"><\/span>Data Domains and Constraints<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When designing a database, administrators can define:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allowed data types<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Valid value ranges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Required fields<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uniqueness rules<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These restrictions help ensure that only valid data is stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Physical_Data_Independence\"><\/span>Physical Data Independence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Physical data independence means that database administrators can modify the way data is physically stored without affecting applications that use the database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Changing storage devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adding or modifying indexes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using different storage structures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changing file organization methods<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applications continue to work without modification because the logical structure remains unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Logical_Data_Independence\"><\/span>Logical Data Independence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Logical data independence allows changes to the database structure without requiring updates to existing applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adding new tables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adding new columns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating new relationships<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Removing unused attributes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As long as existing structures remain compatible, applications can continue operating normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relational database model organizes information into tables connected through primary and foreign keys. This structure provides efficient data storage, consistency, and flexibility while allowing multiple users and applications to access and manage data reliably. Features such as data integrity, logical independence, and physical independence have made relational databases the standard foundation for modern business applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[42],"manual_kb_tag":[585,804,5474,5477,5478,5482,5483,5484,5485,5486],"class_list":["post-9422","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-miscellaneous","manual_kb_tag-database-tables","manual_kb_tag-relational-database","manual_kb_tag-relational-database-management-system","manual_kb_tag-primary-key","manual_kb_tag-foreign-key","manual_kb_tag-referential-integrity","manual_kb_tag-entity-integrity","manual_kb_tag-relational-database-model","manual_kb_tag-database-schema","manual_kb_tag-table-structure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9423,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9422\/revisions\/9423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=9422"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=9422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}