Essential table and attribute information vocabulary

The following is a table of definitions of commonly used terms relating to tables and attributes. Some of the definitions are for specific parts of a table, like a field, while other terms refer to table-related functionality, like a join.

Term	Definition
Table	A set of data elements arranged in rows and columns. Each row represents a single record. Each column represents a field of the record. Rows and columns intersect to form cells, which contain a specific value for one field in a record.
Attribute	Nonspatial information about a geographic feature in a GIS, usually stored in a table and linked to the feature by a unique identifier. For example, attributes of a river might include its name, length, and sediment load at a gauging station.
Field	A column in a table that stores the values for a single attribute.
Field alias	An alternative name specified for fields, tables, files, or datasets, which is more descriptive and user-friendly than the actual name.
Record	A row in a table.
Joining	Appending the fields of one table to those of another through an attribute or field common to both tables. A join is usually used to attach more attributes to the attribute table of a geographic layer.
Relate	An operation that establishes a temporary connection between records in two tables, using a key common to both.
Relationship class	An item in the geodatabase that stores information about a relationship. A relationship class establishes a permanent connection between records in two tables, using a key common to both.
Domain	In a geodatabase, a mechanism for enforcing data integrity. Attribute domains define what values are allowed in a field in a feature class or nonspatial attribute table. If the features or nonspatial objects have been grouped into subtypes, different attribute domains can be assigned to each of the subtypes.
Subtype	In geodatabases, a subset of features in a feature class or objects in a table that share the same attributes. For example, the streets in a streets feature class could be categorized into three subtypes: local, collector, and arterial. Creating subtypes can be more efficient than creating many feature classes or tables in a geodatabase.
Query table	A table containing results from a query. You can create a query table by using the Make Query Table geoprocessing tool.
Definition query	In ArcMap, a request that examines feature or tabular attributes based on user-selected criteria and displays only those features or records that satisfy the criteria.
ObjectID	In ArcGIS, a system-managed value that uniquely identifies a record or feature.

Table and attribute terminology