In database terminology, a record is a collection of data usually pertaining to one instance of an entity. If terms of Excel databases, this means that a record contains the information required to complete one row in a list.

 

In the example shown here, invoice data is stored in a list. Each record or row in the list represents the collection of data pertaining to a single invoice. A collection of these invoice records in a list can be used like a database for invoices.

 

A field is a specific attribute belonging to a record. In a list, the fields are named by the column headings. In the list shown above, there are four records with each record having four fields. The fields for each record are Company name, Invoice #, invoice total, and invoice date.

 

When you add data to a list, you should enter it as a complete record, with data in every field. In this example, every new invoice will be entered as a record, with four fields representing the kind of invoice information we want to store. If we want to include more information about our invoices, we would have to add additional fields to the list. If it is helpful, you can think of the list columns as fields, and the list rows as records.