It is generally used for stand-alone lists. When files must be related (customers to orders, vendors to purchases, etc.), a relational database manager is used, not a flat file manager.

In non-relational "hierarchical" and "network" databases, records in one file contain embedded pointers to the locations of records in another, such as customers to orders and vendors to purchases.

Flat file and relational databases The simplest databases store data in a single file, where each record is identified as a new line and each row can be separated by a comma.

For example, SSIS is perfectly suited for importing a "flat file," such as a CSV, into a relational database. Using SSIS's graphical designer, the task is straightforward, if not entirely intuitive.