What is Attribute in SQL?

Attributes in SQL are the properties that help us to define and describe entities in the database. attributes are used to hold values of different data types. In this blog, we will cover attributes and their types in detail.

Table of Contents:

• What are attributes in SQL?
• Types of Attributes in SQL
• Conclusion

What are Attributes in SQL?

Attributes refer to the properties of an entity that define its identity. An entity can be any object that identifies as an independent unit, such as a person, place, or thing. Let’s see the different types of attributes in SQL.

Types of Attributes in SQL

There are multiple types of attributes in SQL:

• Simple Attribute:  Simple attributes are the attributes that cannot be further divided. In a student database, for example, the student’s name can be a simple attribute.
• Composite Attribute: Composite attributes can be further subdivided into smaller sub-parts. A student’s address, for example, can be further subdivided into street, city, state, and zip code.
• Single Valued Attribute: Theattribute that has only a single value is called a single-valued attribute. In a student’s database, roll_no can be a single-valued attribute.
• Multivalued Attribute: An attribute that can contain multiple values is called a multi-valued attribute. A student, for example, may have many phone numbers or email addresses
• Key Attribute: Key attributes are those that uniquely identify a database entity. In a student database, for example, the roll number can be the key property that uniquely identifies each student.
• Derived Attribute: Derived attributes are qualities that originate from other attributes in the database. The date of birth feature, for example, can be used to calculate a student’s age.
• Stored Attribute: The attribute whose value remains constant for every instance of the entity is called a stored attribute. Like: the name and DOB of the student can be considered as stored attributes.
• Complex Attribute: When complex attributes and multivalued attributes come together and build a new attribute, it is called a complex attribute. These help to represent complex relationships between entities and provide more detailed information about them. By properly defining and organizing complex attributes, we can create a database that is more efficient, logical, and easy to use.

If you want to learn more about SQL, please refer to the SQL tutorial. And if you want to prepare for the interview questions, you may refer to SQL interview questions.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, Attributes are the properties that are used to define entities in the database. Understanding the various attributes in SQL allows us to create and maintain databases that fulfill the project requirements. If you want to learn more about SQL, please refer to our SQL Course.