Nushell Tables and the 'Any' Data Type

7th chunk of `book/types_of_data.md`

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|                    |                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **_Description:_** | A two-dimensional container with both columns and rows where each cell can hold any basic or structured data type |
| **_Annotation:_**  | `table`                                                                                                           |
| **_See Also:_**    | [Working with Tables](./working_with_tables.md)                                                                   |
|                    | [Navigating and Accessing Structured Data](/book/navigating_structured_data.md)                                   |
|                    | [Language Guide - Table](/lang-guide/chapters/types/basic_types/table.md)                                         |

The table is a core data structure in Nushell. As you run commands, you'll see that many of them return tables as output. A table has both rows and columns.

:::tip
Internally, tables are simply **lists of records**. This means that any command which extracts or isolates a specific row of a table will produce a record. For example, `get 0`, when used on a list, extracts the first value. But when used on a table (a list of records), it extracts a record:

```nu
[{x:12, y:5}, {x:3, y:6}] | get 0
# => ╭───┬────╮
# => │ x │ 12 │
# => │ y │ 5  │
# => ╰───┴────╯
```

:::

## Other Data Types

### Any

|                       |                                                                                                             |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **_Description:_**    | When used in a type annotation or signature, matches any type. In other words, a "superset" of other types. |
| **_Annotation:_**     | `any`                                                                                                       |

Title: Nushell Tables and the 'Any' Data Type

Summary

This section explains Nushell tables, emphasizing that they are internally lists of records. It demonstrates how extracting a row from a table results in a record. It then introduces the 'Any' data type, which can match any type in annotations or signatures.