Lookup table
A table that translates codes into their meanings or one set of values into another, such as state abbreviations to state names.
Keeping the translation in a table, not in someone's head or buried in a formula, means it can be checked, corrected in one place, and reused.
Where it comes up
- Codes without a lookupA column holds short codes such as 3, A, or XR, and the table that says what each code means is not in the file.
- Inconsistent category labelsA column meant to hold a few fixed values holds many spellings of them.
See also
- Reference dataThe agreed lists of permitted values that other data is classified by, such as country codes, currency codes, and order statuses.
- CrosswalkA table that pairs each code in one system with its equivalent in another, such as an old product code beside the new one that replaced it.
- MappingA stated correspondence between a source and a target. In data preparation it means either which source column feeds which target column, or which source value becomes which standard value, such as Calif. to CA.