Random-access file ( or random file) is a file whose data you can read or write in any order without having to read or write all other data in the file.
Ok, what does that mean, well look at it like this (analogy); Say you have guest book at a wedding or tourist site, you have people write their name and where they came from, and any comments they have. Now, anyone visiting can write in the book, at any time and in any order. Hence random right? But to continue with the above definition, every time a guest writes in the guest book, you are not expecting them to read and re-write all the previous entries before them, are you?
No, hence again, Random access. You enter/write data to a file in in any order, but you are not required to read the entire file into memory first, and then add your new data and then write all the data back to the file. Instead you are only going to write the new data to the file, regardless of the data currently in the file.
Hope that made sense?
If it didn't, or you need more than let me know....