What is attribute meaning?

Attributes are defined as characteristics or properties of an object, entity, or phenomenon that can be measured or observed. In the context of data modeling, attributes are used to describe the features of an entity or an object. For example, in a database of customers of a bank, attributes such as name, address, phone number, and account number are used to describe the different customers.

Attributes can be classified into different types based on their properties, such as nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal attributes represent unordered categories, such as gender or race. Ordinal attributes represent ordered categories, such as level of education or rating. Interval attributes represent numerical values with equal intervals, but without a true zero, such as temperature measured in degrees Celsius. Ratio attributes are similar to interval attributes, but with a true zero, such as weight or height.

Attributes can also have different levels of granularity, which is the degree of detail at which they are specified. For example, a person's age can be specified at different levels of granularity, such as years, months, or days.

In summary, attribute meaning refers to the characteristics or properties of an object or entity that are used to describe and measure it. Attributes can have different types, levels of granularity, and measurement scales, which are important considerations when modeling and analyzing data.