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Creating new attribute domains

Creating new attribute domains
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About creating attribute domains

Note: This topic was updated for 9.3.1.

At any time in the life of a geodatabase, a new attribute domain can be created using the Domains properties dialog box.

You can create new attribute range domains, or you can create coded value domains.

If a feature class has subtypes, domains must be applied at the subtype level and not at the fields level. See Creating subtypes.

How to create new attribute domains

Creating a new attribute range domain

  1. In the ArcCatalog tree, right-click the geodatabase and click Properties.

  2. Click the Domains tab.

  3. Click the first empty field under Domain Name and type a name for the new domain.

  4. Press the Tab key, or click the new domain's description field and type a description for the domain.

  5. Click the field next to Field Type, click the drop-down arrow, then click the type of attribute field to which this domain will be applied.

  6. Click the field next to Domain Type, click the drop-down arrow, then click Range from the list of domain types.

  7. Click the field with the minimum value for the range domain, and type the minimum value. Do the same for the maximum value.

  8. Click the field next to Split policy, click the drop-down arrow, and click the split policy for the new domain. Do the same for the merge policy.

  9. Click Apply to create the new domain in the geodatabase, or click OK to create the domain and close the dialog box.

Tip

  • Range domains can't be created for text fields. They can only be applied to numeric and date fields.

Creating a new coded value domain

  1. In the ArcCatalog tree, right-click the geodatabase and click Properties.

  2. Click the Domains tab.

  3. Click the first empty field under Domain Name and type a name for the new domain.

  4. Press the Tab key, or click the new domain's description field and type a description for the domain.

  5. Click the field next to Field Type, click the drop-down arrow, then click the type of attribute field to which this domain will be applied.

  6. Click the field next to Domain Type, click the drop-down arrow, then click Coded Values from the list of domain types.

  7. Click the first empty field under Coded values and type the first valid code.

  8. Press the Tab key, or click the new coded value's Description field. Type a user-friendly description for this coded value.

  9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all valid values and their descriptions have been typed.

  10. Click the field next to Split policy, click the drop-down arrow, then click the split policy for the new domain. Do the same for the merge policy.

  11. Click Apply to create the new domain in the geodatabase, or click OK to create the domain and close the dialog box.

Tips

  • When you add a new value to a domain's coded value list, you must also add a more user-friendly description. When you edit an attribute value for a field that has this domain, the user-friendly values appear in the ArcMap Editor. Descriptions help you select the right value.

  • Coded value domains support default value and duplicate split policies only.

  • Coded value domains support the default value merge policy only.

See Also

  • Editing with default values and attribute domains
  • Browsing the attribute domains of a geodatabase
  • Modifying and deleting attribute domains
  • Associating default values and domains with tables and feature classes