What is a Tuple in DBMS? Types, Examples, & Easy Guide

The database is the most crucial part of the digital world. Whether it’s booking a flight, ordering food, or checking your bank balance, all these digital operations are made possible with a Database Management System (DBMS). It helps you store and collect data when needed. 

If you have studied database management or are planning to sign up for a DBMS course at Amity Online, you will often come across the term “Tuple”. This blog helps you understand tuples in DBMS, their types, how to work with them, and more.

What is a Tuple in DBMS?

In DBMS, data is organised precisely. The structure that holds the data consists of tables, rows, and columns. A tuple is a record that stores meaningful information about a specific subject. 

The simplest way to define a tuple in a DBMS is, “It’s a row in a table”. Now, the information in this row is spread across multiple columns, and each of them is assigned a certain attribute, such as “Name”, “Gender”, “Address”, “Score”, and so on. 

Here’s an example:

The values 001, Aryan Sahu, 26, B.Tech, together form one tuple in the database, while the second row forms another. The columns, such as Registration Number, Student’s Name, Age, and Course, are attributes.

Tuples are an integral part of the table, as each of them holds unique information. This helps users find data about a specific person, place, or object in an organised way. Without a tuple, a table is a simple, empty grid with no data.

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Key Features of a Tuple in a Database

Here’s what sets a tuple apart from other elements of a relational database.

Fixed Structure: Every tuple follows the same set of attributes defined by the table. For instance, in the above student table, all rows follow the format of Registration Number, Name, Age, and Course.

Unique Values: Each tuple represents a distinct record. Even if some values match, one attribute differentiates them. For example, two students with the same name, course, and age can be part of a table, but their registration numbers will be different.

Atomic Values: A tuple in the database has a single piece of data, which can’t be divided or is not in the listicle format. 

Null Value: A tuple can have an empty column. This occurs when specific information about a particular entity is unavailable. 

Types of Tuples

Tuples in a database can be of different types, depending on the type of data in them, the number of elements, and how they are arranged. 

Let’s explore the common ones.

1-Tuple

It has a single row. For example, a table with elements “001, 002, 003” under “Registration Number” is considered a 1-Tuple table.

2-Tuple

A 2-Tuple table has two columns, such as “Registration Number” and “Name”. For example, each row in the table can have the students’ unique registration numbers and their names, with no other columns.

n-Tuple

An n-Tuple table has multiple columns. It can be 3,4, 5, or more. For example, in a table consisting of the students’ admission details, there can be five columns with attributes “Registration Number, Name, Date of Admission, Father’s Name, and Address”.

Composite Tuple

A tuple can have multiple attributes, such as a person tuple that includes a roll number or a contact details tuple. For example, 

(001, 'Suhana', (221B, 'Chowk Bazar', 'India'))

In this tuple, the address attribute has multiple values, each representing important information about the person’s address. In the above example, “221B” is the house name,  “Chowk Bazar” is the street name, and “India” is the country. 

Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Tuples

A table can have tuples of the same type of elements, such as numeric values across all columns (100, 346, 981, 487). These are called homogeneous tuples. 

A table with different types of elements, such as a mix of numbers, alphabets, and special characters (002, Shruti, 21, B.Btech), is considered heterogeneous. 

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Understanding Tuple Operations

Let’s see how you can work on a tuple in a database. 

Here’s the Students table:

Insertion

You can add more rows to the above table using the command “INSERT INTO”. Let’s say you want to add another student’s data to this table. Here’s how to do it.

INSERT INTO Students (Registration Number, Name, Age, Courses)

VALUES (004, 'Priya', 22, 'MBA');

The new tuple with your given values will be added to the table as shown below:

Selecting Tuples

When you search, you use the command “SELECT”. Let’s say you want to find a list of the students who are 22 years old. Here’s how to do it.

SELECT * FROM Students 

WHERE Age = 22;

Here’s what the query will return:

Updating a Tuple

To change one or more values in a specific row, you need to use the “UPDATE” command. Let’s say Arav wants to change his course from MA in Psychology to MA in English. Here’s how it’s done.

UPDATE Students 

SET Course = 'MA in English' 

WHERE Registration Number = 003;

Here’s the updated table:

Deleting a Tuple

If you don’t want to keep a row in the table, you can delete it using the “DELETE” command. Let’s say Suhana has graduated, and her record is no longer needed in the Students table. Here’s how to remove it.

DELETE FROM Students 

WHERE Registration Number = 001;

Here’s the updated table with the deleted row.

Conclusion

In today’s data-driven world, understanding tuples and how to operate them in a database management system is crucial. A tuple is simply a row in a table, but it can be a complex structure in data-heavy tables. If you want to work with relational databases, understanding tuples and their operations is essential.

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