The data that is stored in a file is frequently organized in records. A record is a complete set of data about an item, and a field is an individual piece of data within a record.
Each
time a record is written to a sequential access file, the fields that make up the
record, are written one after the other.
When
a read is made of record from a sequential access file, the data for each field
is read one after the other, until we have read the complete record.
Programs
that store records in a file typically require more capabilities than simply
writing and reading records such as adding records to a file, searching a file
for specific records, modifying a record, and deleting a record.