In a hierarchical model, how are records referred to?

In a hierarchical data model, records are referred to as nodes. This terminology stems from the tree-like structure of the model where each record represents a point in the hierarchy, similar to the branches of a tree. Each node can have one or more subordinate nodes (referred to as child nodes), which reflects their relationships in a parent-child structure. This organization allows for the representation of data in a clear, visual way where parent nodes can have multiple child nodes, but each child node has only one parent.

The other options do not accurately describe records in a hierarchical model. Branches refer more to the connections between nodes rather than the nodes themselves. Tables are typically associated with relational databases, which emphasize a different structure for organizing data. Fields represent attributes or properties associated with records in databases but are not used to describe the records themselves in the context of hierarchical models. Hence, the use of the term nodes is specifically aligned with the characteristics and structure of hierarchical data organization.