After establishing the purpose of databases and Database Management Systems (DBMS), we focus on one of the most widely used methods for organizing data: the relational model. This approach provides a structured and logical way to store and manage information effectively.

In this chapter, you will learn the fundamental building blocks of relational databases. We will cover how data is structured within tables using columns (attributes) and rows (records). You will understand the importance of data types, the role of primary keys in ensuring uniqueness, and how foreign keys are used to create relationships between different tables. We will also briefly introduce the concept of normalization as a technique for designing efficient databases.