{"id":2927161,"date":"2025-12-31T21:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T05:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2927161"},"modified":"2026-01-11T21:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T05:15:55","slug":"enhance-your-attribute-field-quality-with-coded-domain-fields","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/enhance-your-attribute-field-quality-with-coded-domain-fields","title":{"rendered":"Enhance Your Attribute Field Quality with Coded Domain Fields"},"author":134231,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23851],"tags":[572002,42641,42181,780968,780969],"industry":[],"product":[36581,36551,36561],"class_list":["post-2927161","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data-management","tag-arcgis-living-atlas","tag-arcgis-online","tag-arcgis-pro","tag-coded-domains","tag-field-lists","product-arcgis-living-atlas","product-arcgis-online","product-arcgis-pro"],"acf":{"short_description":"Enhance your attribute field quality with coded domain fields using the FARS Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes 2019 to 2023 dataset as an example.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

When working with geospatial data, one way to\u00a0 effectively improve data quality, enhance user experience, and ensure consistency is through Coded Domain Fields<\/strong><\/a>. These fields allow you to restrict data input to a predefined set of values, reducing errors and making data more structured and easier to analyze.\u00a0 In this blog article, we’ll explore how you can use Coded Domain Fields\u00a0to improve your workflows in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

What Are Coded Domain Fields?<\/h3>\n

A Coded Domain Field<\/strong> is a field in your attribute table that contains predefined values, or domains<\/strong>, instead of free-text input. These values can be a list of codes that correspond to specific labels, making data entry more standardized and minimizing the risk of typos or inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

For example, in the FARS Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes 2019 to 2023<\/strong><\/a> dataset in ArcGIS Living Atlas<\/a>, a related table variable “Vehicle Type” has the coded domain values of\u00a01 = Passenger Car, 2 = Light Truck – Pickup, 3 = Light Truck – Utility,4 = Light Truck – Van, 5 = Light Truck – Other, 6 = Large Truck, 7 = Motorcycle, 8 = Bus, 9 = Other\/Unknown etc.<\/p>\n

This ensures that users select the correct classification without introducing errors. Another major benefit is that descriptive text of the domain fields allows users to easily understand what the numeric values means. Users would not have to dig through a code book to understand that the value of ‘1’ is a passenger car.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2953787,"id":2953787,"title":"FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType","filename":"FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","filesize":24425,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/enhance-your-attribute-field-quality-with-coded-domain-fields\/fars_domain_agol_vehicletype","alt":"","author":"134231","description":"","caption":"","name":"fars_domain_agol_vehicletype","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2927161,"date":"2026-01-12 02:48:40","modified":"2026-01-12 02:48:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":814,"height":454,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":259,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":428,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","large-width":814,"large-height":454,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","1536x1536-width":814,"1536x1536-height":454,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","2048x2048-width":814,"2048x2048-height":454,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","card_image-width":814,"card_image-height":454,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png","wide_image-width":814,"wide_image-height":454}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FARS_Domain_AGOL_VehicleType.png"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Benefits of Coded Domain Fields<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Data Integrity<\/strong>: Coded domains restrict the field values to a specific set, minimizing the chance of user errors and ensuring consistent data input.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Better Analysis<\/strong>: When working with data that follows standardized values, analysis becomes more reliable. For example, in crash analysis, consistent severity codes allow for more accurate statistical breakdowns and visualization.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Easier Updates<\/strong>: If the classification or labels need to change, you can simply update the domain rather than manually changing values across all records.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    User-Friendly<\/strong>: Coded domains improve the user experience by offering a dropdown list for data input, making it easier for less experienced users to work with the data.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Working with Coded Domain Fields in ArcGIS Pro<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Manually add a Coded Domain Field in ArcGIS Pro<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. \n

      Open the Attribute Table<\/strong>:
      In ArcGIS Pro, right-click on the layer to which you want to add the domain and select Attribute Table<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Add New Field<\/strong>:
      In the attribute table, click on the Fields<\/strong> tab and then click Add Field<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Set Field Properties<\/strong>:<\/p>\n