Before we open Salesforce, here are three words you'll hear every day: IT, software and database. They sound technical, but they're simple.
What IT means
IT stands for information technology: the computers, software and networks a business uses to store and use its information. At Peakline, the laptops, the office Wi-Fi and Jason's spreadsheet are all part of IT.
What software is
Software is a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do. Your spreadsheet app is software. Your email is software. Salesforce is software too. It just runs somewhere else, which the next lesson explains.
What a database is
A database is an organised place to store information, so it's easy to find and use. Think of it as a very tidy spreadsheet:
| Name | Phone | City |
|---|---|---|
| Hilltop Gym | 555-0100 | Denver |
| Emma Clark | 555-0101 | Austin |
- Information lives in tables.
- Each column holds one detail, like a phone number.
- Each row holds one customer, like Hilltop Gym.
The Salesforce words
Trailhead puts it this way: in Salesforce, a table is an object, a column is a field, and a row is a record.
Words from this lesson
Tap a value to copy it
- ObjectExample: Account
- FieldExample: Phone
- RecordExample: Hilltop Gym
Recap
- IT is the technology a business uses for its information.
- Software tells a computer what to do.
- A database stores information in tables, with columns and rows. In Salesforce: objects, fields and records.
Next, installed software versus the cloud.
Now you try
Pick something you'd keep in a table, like your phone contacts. What would your three columns be? Share them in the video's comments.