Logical file

A database file which appears identical to the physical file; however, logical files contain no actual data. Logical files only provide a view of the physical data contained in the physical file associated with the logical file. They can provide alternative ways to look at data without redundantly storing the actual data on the system.

There are two types of logical files:

Simple
A file which uses data form one physical file. A simple logical file is the most commonly used category of logical files. It is used to select fields or records from the physical file it is based on.

Join
A file which combines fields from two or more physical files into a single record format. A join-logical file is read-only.