What is the formal name of a table column in database terminology?

• A. Column
• B. Field
• C. Attribute
• D. Key

Answer: (B)

In a table, each column represents one data item, and the data value you store for that item in every row is called a field. The column defines what kind of data you’re holding (for example, names), and each row provides a single field value for that item (like "Smith" or "Jones"). A field emphasizes the actual data item in a row, rather than the structural name of the column itself.

Column is the structural label of the vertical set of data, while attribute is a formal term used in the relational model for the kind of data represented. A key is a column (or set of columns) used to identify a row. So field is the best match for the idea of the individual data item contained in that column across rows.