A set has several interpretation:
This section is about what's called the set theory (ie what rules and operations applied to a set of data).
Sets are one of the most fundamental concepts in mathematics. Developed at the end of the 19th century, set theory is now a ubiquitous part of mathematics, and can be used as a foundation from which nearly all of mathematics can be derived.
{ } are the standard notation for sets.
The most important application of set theory is the relational theory where a relation (ie a relational table, view) is:
And therefore all operations performed on a relation are also set operation.
Set operations are visualized with venn diagrams