Database Management: Attribute Types

Vocabulary flashcards covering database attribute classifications, including simple, composite, single-valued, multivalued, required, and optional attributes.

Required Attributes

Attributes that are required because every entity instance is assumed to possess them (for example, stud_LastName and stud_FirstName).

Optional Attributes

Attributes that may have a value or may be left blank because they contain information that is not always available or necessary (for example, MiddleName, Email, and stud_Phone).

Dash (-)

A symbol that represents a missing value in the database table example for optional attributes.

Simple (Atomic) Attributes

Attributes holding a single, indivisible piece of data that cannot be broken down or split into smaller components without losing their meaningful value in the context of the database (such as age or employee ID).

Composite Attributes

A single logical unit composed of multiple simple attributes or sub-parts combined together (such as name composed of first, middle, and last name, or address composed of street, city, state, and zip code).

Single-Valued Attributes

Attributes restricted to a single, unique value for each individual record or entity instance (such as Student ID or Age).

Multivalued Attributes

Attributes that can possess a set of multiple values for a single entity instance (such as Phone Numbers or College Degrees).