What characteristic is true of hierarchical databases concerning data access?

In hierarchical databases, data is organized in a tree-like structure with a single root and multiple levels of related records. This structure enforces a specific pathway for data access. Each record or node can have one parent and potentially many children, making the way information is retrieved strictly follow the predefined hierarchy. As a result, users are limited to traversing the data via these established relationships, meaning that access is restricted to the paths defined by the structure.

This characteristic distinguishes hierarchical databases from other database types that may allow more flexible access patterns. The rigid structure ensures that data is consistently organized and accessed in a predictable manner, which can be advantageous for certain use cases, especially where relationships between data points are well understood and static.