What is the term for a single piece of data within a record in a database?

The term that denotes a single piece of data within a record in a database is known as a field. In database terminology, a field represents the smallest unit of data that is stored, typically corresponding to a column in a database table. Each field contains specific data for a particular attribute of the record, which is represented by the row in the table.

For instance, in a database that stores information about employees, a record might include fields for the employee's name, ID number, and email address. Each of these is a distinct piece of data related to the overall record of that particular employee.

While keys refer to attributes that uniquely identify records within a table, records are the complete entries that encompass all fields for an individual case. The term tuples is also associated with records in relational databases, often representing an ordered list of elements, but it is more general compared to the specific definition of a field. Thus, the most precise term for a single piece of data within a record is indeed a field.