Indatabase lingo, these columns are called attributes.

A database attribute is a column name and the content of the fields under it in a table.

Each one of the field entries is also an attribute.

An Attribute chart

Here’s an example of the often-citedNorthwindsdatabase.

The Products table defines the characteristics of each product.

Each of these characteristics is an attribute of the table (or entity) named Products.

An attribute is a single piece of data in the tuple to which it belongs.

Each tuple is a data set that applies to one item.

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Working with one of these is a great way to learn how databases work.

Is an Attribute a Field?

In the table above, the ProductName in the second row isChang.

This is a field.

When discussing products in general, ProductName is the product’s column.

This is the attribute.

Defining Attributes

Attributes are defined in terms of their domain.

A domain defines the allowable values that an attribute can contain.

This includes its data key in, length, values, and other details.

For example, the domain for an attributeProductID might specify a numeric data throw in.

Want to know more about the essentials of databases?

OurDatabases for Beginnersguide is a good place to start.