Views look like tables to a user, but they are virtual, not physical, tables. They display data in columns and rows and, in general, can be used as if they were physical tables. However, only the column definitions for a view are stored: views are not physical tables.
A view does not contain data: it is a virtual table whose definition is stored in the Data Dictionary. The view is not materialized until it is referenced by a statement. Some operations that are permitted for the manipulation of tables are not valid for views, and other operations are restricted, depending on the view definition.