definition
strict definition
key
A coded string used to relate objects with corresponding objects in a database.
A key is any identification number, alphanumeric string, or similar specifier used as a primary key or object identifier. Keys are used to represent unique objects in a database, and to identify commonalities between objects in different databases.
The number or string identifies an object within the system that assigns it. Its meaning therefore depends on that system; identical characters in unrelated registers need not identify the same subject.
A record can retain an internal identifier and references to corresponding objects in external databases. These keys provide different system-specific references to the subject, without requiring that their values or formats be identical.
key Photos
More specific definitions
34 sub-definitions-
ATC number
The American Tower Corporation's identification number for a transmission tower. -
CTBUH building ID
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's identification number for a building in the Skyscraper Center database. -
Dubai DLD project number
The number assigned by Dubai's Land Department to a development project, which may comprise one or several buildings. -
Dubai DLD property number
The property number assigned to a registered property by Dubai's Land Department. -
Dubai building number
The number assigned by Dubai Municipality to a physical building, distinct from the plot and Land Department property numbers. -
Dubai parcel number
The number assigned by Dubai Municipality to the land parcel on which a structure stands, distinct from a building number. -
FCC number
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission identification number for a transmission point. -
FIPS code
The Federal Information Processing Standard used by the United States Government to identify geographic areas. -
FIPS place code
The five-digit code the US Census Bureau gives an incorporated place or census-designated place inside one state. -
German building number
A 7-digit identification number for public structures used throughout Germany. -
HK Occupation Permit no.
The number of the Occupation Permit issued for a building by Hong Kong's Buildings Department. -
Hong Kong CSUID
The Central Spatial Unique Identifier assigned to a building record by Hong Kong's Buildings Department. -
Hong Kong geo reference
The geographic reference number assigned to a building by Hong Kong's Buildings Department. -
IBGE municipality code
The official seven-digit code identifying a Brazilian município in the register kept by IBGE, the national statistics institute. -
INSEE code
The official code identifying a French commune, department or region in the Code Officiel Géographique kept by INSEE. -
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code
The two-letter country code in part 1 of the ISO 3166 standard, such as DE for Germany or BR for Brazil. -
ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code
The three-letter country code in part 1 of the ISO 3166 standard, such as DEU for Germany or BRA for Brazil. -
ISO 3166-1 numeric code
The three-digit country code in part 1 of the ISO 3166 standard, such as 276 for Germany or 250 for France. -
ISO code
An identifier assigned to any object by the International Organization for Standardization. -
ISTAT municipality code
The official code identifying an Italian comune in the register kept by ISTAT, the national statistics institute. -
NRHP number
A number identifying a structure listed by the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S.A. -
NUTS code
The code identifying a region in Eurostat's Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, the European Union's hierarchy of statistical regions. -
NYC BBL
The Borough-Block-Lot number identifying a tax lot in New York City, assigned by the Department of Finance. -
NYC BIN
The Building Identification Number used as a database key by a third party data reference. -
Norwegian county number
The official two-digit code identifying a Norwegian county in the register kept by Statistics Norway. -
Norwegian municipality
The official four-digit code identifying a Norwegian municipality in the register kept by Statistics Norway. -
OpenStreetMap ID
The identification number of the corresponding node, way, or relation in the OpenStreetMap database. -
RÚIAN municipality code
The official code identifying a Czech obec in RÚIAN, the register of territorial identification kept by the surveying office ČÚZK. -
SKYDB Object ID
A unique numeric string of up to nine digits, automatically assigned to identify one object in the SKYDB system. -
SkyscraperPage ID
The identification number used for a building in the SkyscraperPage diagram database. -
Structurae ID
The identification number used for a structure in the Structurae database of international civil and structural engineering works. -
US Census GEOID
The identifier the US Census Bureau gives a place, formed by joining the two-digit state code to the five-digit place code. -
Wikidata item ID
The identifier of the matching item in Wikidata, the free knowledge base run by the Wikimedia Foundation, written as a Q followed by a number. -
state code
An official abbreviation or code identifying a state, province, or other first-level subdivision of a country.
Related definitions
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Company registration
A government-assigned numeric or alphanumeric identifier for a company in an official register. -
Legal entity identifier
A 20-character identifier for persons or other entities that engage in financial transactions. -
National tax number
An identifier assigned by a national government to a company, individual, or other entity for taxpayer identification. -
OKTMO code
The code for a Russian municipal territory in the All-Russian Classifier of Territories of Municipal Formations, kept by Rosstat. -
Ruhrsite-ID
The official identification number used by municipalities in the Ruhr region of Germany. -
VAT identification number
An identifier for a business, individual, or other entity registered for Value Added Tax. -
primary lot number
An identification number or character string representing a land parcel, usually a holding traded as one unit. -
secondary lot number
An identification number or character string for a subdivision of a larger land parcel, usually with a primary lot number. -
uniform resource identifier
A string of characters used to locate a particular piece of content on the Internet.