A location within a database table that stores a particular type of data (for example, the First Name column in the Employees table of the Northwind sample Microsoft Access database). It is also the visual representation of a field in a datasheet, and in a Microsoft Access database, the query design grid or the filter design grid. In a datasheet, a column is a vertical stack showing the value of a field in every record. In the query and filter design grids in an Access database, a column is a vertical stack of information, such as the field name and the sort order, about each of the fields included in the query or filter. Individual columns have their own specifications as to data type and maximum length. These are called column (or field) properties.