1. Attribute Data in GIS
Data in GIS are stored as features AND tabular info
Tabular information can be associated with features OR
Tabular data may NOT be associated with any specific feature
“Tabular” means stored in a table with rows and columns
Rows are called “RECORDS” in GIS
Columns are called “ATTRIBUTE FIELDS” or “FIELDS”

2. Tables Tables are classified as being “Attribute” or “Stand Alone”
Attribute table- a table that contains data about a specific features in a set of geographic data
ONLY 1 record for each feature; can and typically does have multiple fields for specific features
Depending on the type of model, the table contains different types of information
Georelational- each record relates to a feature in a separate file through an FID
Feature Identification
Object-oriented model - the feature’s attributes and geographical location (x,y coordinates) are stored in the same table and has OID (object Identification numbers

4. Tables Tables are classified as being “Attribute” or “Stand Alone”
Stand alone table- a table that contains information about about an object or objects
They are independent of the geographical data in the map and has OID (Object Identification numbers)
The data may come from a text file, global positioning software (GPS), Excel spreadsheet, or database file building software.
Sometimes the relationship between a stand alone table and the geographic data is only incidental

5. Database Management
GIS uses a management system similar to those used by nearly all large institutions
e.g., the state and federal government, BMV, universities, hospitals, etc.
Three types of database management systems
flat file database- stores rows of information as text or binary coded data in text strings
Simple but not efficient
Hierarchical- multiple tables stored as separate files, each of which has multiple records and fields. Each table has a hard linked relationship to other tables
e.g., courses, with students, linked by course ID number
Relational- multiple tables stored as separate files but they are NOT hard-linked.
shared fields (columns) become the joining key

6. Queries on tabular data
Information may need to be subdivided into desired packages
e.g., parcels of land zoned commercial in a county
Queries use a language of logical expressions to delineate wanted data from larger data files into a “selected set”
SQL (Standard Query Language)
e.g.,SELECT*FROM landuse WHERE[ZONE]=492
“landuse” is the table name; “ZONE” is the Field to search; 492 is the numeric code designating property as commercial

7. Joining tables
Tables can be related to each other or joined by using a common field (column)
Joining a table has a DIRECTION
Direction is important because of what he resulting data table might be used to complete
Because there is a direction, there is a SOURCE table and a DESTINATION table

8. Joining and relating tables
Joining in this way yields a table capable of being mapped; reversing the source and destination labels yields only a stand alone table. Why?

9. Cardinality
simply put, cardinality means how data relate to each other
2 main designations
1 to 1 relationship - each record (row) in the destination table has a match in the source table
Many to 1 - each record in the destination has multiple matches in the source tables
1 to Many - each record in the destination table match a single record in the source table

10. Examples of cardinality

11. Cardinality
When determining cardinality, direction is important and it must not violate the rule of joining
i.e., 1 and only 1 record in the output table (destination) for each record in the input table (source)

12. One linked to Many table violates the rule of joining