What does an entity represent in a relational database?

In a relational database, an entity is accurately represented by a table within the database. Each table corresponds to a distinct entity that encapsulates related data points. For example, in a database for a library, there may be entities such as "Books," "Members," and "Loans." Each of these entities would have its own table that organizes data into rows and columns, with each row corresponding to a specific instance of the entity (e.g., a single book or member) and each column representing attributes or properties of the entity.

The structure of tables is fundamental to how data is organized and accessed within relational databases, making this concept central to database design and operations. Understanding that entities are represented by tables helps in grasping how relationships between different data points can be managed through relational database management systems, which rely on this organization for efficient querying and data integrity.