What do relational databases consist of?

Relational databases consist of one or more tables, which are the fundamental building blocks of the database structure. Each table is made up of rows and columns, where rows represent individual records and columns represent the attributes of those records. This tabular format is crucial because it allows for the organization and manipulation of data in a way that can be easily queried and managed.

The relationships between different tables are established using keys, allowing for complex data interconnections and enabling operations such as JOINs to combine data from multiple tables. This structure supports data integrity and consistency, making it more efficient for data retrieval and storage.

Other choices describe different data storage models. Single documents might refer to document-oriented databases, which store information in documents rather than structured tables. Multiple files could refer to flat file systems or other forms of unstructured or semi-structured data storage without tying them into a relational model. Graphs and maps allude to graph databases and spatial datasets, which focus on relationships and geographic data, respectively, rather than the tabular structure central to relational databases.