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VegBank Data Dictionary: Tables

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DB Table Name	stratum
Table	Stratum Definition
Notes	This table stores collective information about strata defined within a plot observation.
Description	This table is used to record non-species-specific information about a stratum. Examples include total cover of the stratum and maximum height of the stratum.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID STRATUM_ID no serial PK no Database assigned value for a unique existence of a stratum within a plot observation. Observation OBSERVATION_ID required Integer FK no Link to the plot observation event with which this stratum observation is associated. Stratum Type STRATUMTYPE_ID required Integer FK no This attribute will link to the definition of the specific stratum observed. Stratum Height stratumHeight no Float n/a no Average height to the top of the stratum in meters. Stratum Base stratumBase no Float n/a no Average height of the bottom of the stratum in meters. Stratum Cover stratumCover no Float n/a no Cover of the vegetation within the given stratum in percent.

 

DB Table Name	stratumMethod
Table	Stratum Method
Notes	This table links a set of strata to a sampling protocol . This table, when combined a set of linked stratum occurrences, defines the strata used by a plot observer.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID STRATUMMETHOD_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique stratum methodology. Reference reference_ID no Integer FK no Link to a publication defining the stratum method. Stratum Method Name stratumMethodName required varchar (30) n/a no Name of the stratum method (e.g., Braun-Blanquet, TNC-ABI, NC Vegetation Survey #1, NC Vegetation Survey #2, etc.) Stratum Method Description stratumMethodDescription no text n/a no This field describes the general methods used for strata. For example, this field should distinguish as to whether strata are defined as including all foliage on plants that predominantly occupy the stratum regardless of the height of that foliage, or only the foliage that actually occurs within a specified vertical slice of the community. Stratum Assignment stratumAssignment no varchar (50) n/a closed The way that an individual's cover is assigned to the different stratum. Some methodologies allow an individul to span multiple strata and have stratumCover values in each stratum. Other methodologies require that all cover from an individual be assigned to the upper-most stratum. Further information about the specifics of stratum Methodologies that deviate from the standard practice of the stratumMethod referened in the field stratumMethod_ID should be described in methodNarrative. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).

 

DB Table Name	stratumType
Table	Stratum Type
Notes	This table stores collective information about strata defined within a plot observation.
Description	This table is used to record non-species-specific information about a stratum. Examples include total cover of the stratum and maximum height of the stratum.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID STRATUMTYPE_ID no serial PK no Database assigned value for a unique existence of a stratum within a plot observation. Stratum Method STRATUMMETHOD_ID required Integer FK no This attribute will link to the stratum to the stratum methodology used. Stratum Index stratumIndex no varchar (10) n/a no Short code used to identify the stratum Stratum Name stratumName no varchar (30) n/a no Name associated with this stratum by the stratumMethod Stratum Description stratumDescription no text n/a no This field describes the specific stratum. For example, a value of "F" under stratumIndex might have a stratumName = "Floating" and a stratumDescription = "foliage floating on or near the surface of water"

 

DB Table Name	taxonImportance
Table	Taxon Importance
Notes	This table stores information about the importance (i.e. cover, basal area, biomass) of each taxon observed on a plot. Records may be limited to one stratum or apply to all strata.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition Taxon Importance ID taxonImportance_ID required serial PK no Database generated number which uniquely identifies this record of the table. Taxon taxonObservation_ID required Integer FK no Foreign Key into the TaxonObservation table to link to the information about the taxon for which this importance value applies. Stratum stratum_ID no Integer FK no Foreign Key into the stratum table, if this record is limited to the importance of a taxon in one stratum. If null, all values in this record speak of the importance of the entire taxon across all strata. Cover cover no Float n/a no Cover, in percent, of the taxon (potentially limitied to one stratum if stratum_ID has a value). Basal Area basalArea no Float n/a no Total basal area of the species in m2/ha (potentially limitied to one stratum if stratum_ID has a value). Biomass biomass no Float n/a no The biomass of the species in g/m2 (potentially limitied to one stratum if stratum_ID has a value). Inference Area inferenceArea no Float n/a no This is the area in m2 used to infer the importance values (i.e. cover, biomass, basal area) in this record. RESERVED VALUE: -1 is used to indicate no plot boundaries were used when estimating importance values.

 

DB Table Name	taxonInterpretation
Table	Taxon Interpretation
Notes	This table allows all users, including the author and/or subsequent interpreters, to attach taxon names and authorities to a specific taxon observation
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID TAXONINTERPRETATION_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique interpretation of a taxon. Taxon Observation TAXONOBSERVATION_ID required Integer FK no Link to a particular taxon observation. Stem Location stemLocation_ID no Integer FK no StemLocation record of a particular stem that is to be interpreted by this taxonInterpretation record. Plant Concept PLANTCONCEPT_ID required Integer FK no Link to a taxon in the plantConcept table. The entry in the plantConcept table will in turn point to a reference and a name used in the reference, thereby defining the taxon concept. The name that should be applied to the plantConcept will be party specific and will be found in the plantUsage table. For other than legacy data, the first interpretation recorded for a taxon observation should be redundant with the information contained in taxonObservation.PLANTNAME_ID + PLANTREFERENCE_ID. Interpretation Date interpretationDate required Date n/a no The date that the interpretation was made. Plant Name PLANTNAME_ID no Integer FK no Foreign key into the plantName (in the plantTaxa database) table to identify the name applied by the interpreter to the plantConcept. This field is not needed except in cases where there is a publication associated with the interpretation. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the party that made the interpretation, which could be the observation author. Role ROLE_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the role of the party making the interpretation (e.g., plot author, publication author, database manager, automated, plot contributor). Interpretation Type interpretationType no varchar (30) n/a closed Categories for the interpretation (e.g., author, computer generated, simplified for comparative analysis, correction, finer resolution). Reference reference_ID no Integer FK no Foreign key into reference table, which identifies a publication in which the interpretation was formally made, or in which the plot was used in a formal analysis. Original Interpretation originalInterpretation required Boolean n/a no This interpretation corresponds to the original interpretation of the plot author, as best as can be determined. There is no requirement that the authority match the authority of the author; only that the concepts are synonymous. Current Interpretation currentInterpretation required Boolean n/a no This interpretation is the most accurate and precise interpretation currently available. Taxon Fit taxonFit no varchar (50) n/a closed Indicates the degree of fit with the plant concept being assigned. Values derive from Gopal, S., and Woodcock, C. (1994), Theory and methods for accuracy assessment of thematic maps using fuzzy sets. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 60(2):181-188. Taxon Confidence taxonConfidence no varchar (50) n/a closed Indicates the degree of confidence of the interpreter(s) in the interpretation made. This can reflect the level of familiarity with the classification or the sufficiency of information about the plot (e.g., High, Moderate, Low). Collector collector_ID no Integer FK no Party who collected the voucher which was used to make this taxonInterpretation. Collection Number collectionNumber no varchar (100) n/a no The Collector's identification code for the voucher. Collection Date collectionDate no Date n/a no Date on which the voucher was collected. Museum museum_ID no Integer FK no Link to the Party which is the museum which archives the voucher. Museum Accession Number museumAccessionNumber no varchar (100) n/a no Museum Code which identifies the voucher. Group Type groupType no varchar (20) n/a closed The type of group formed for this taxonInterpretation_ID. Notes notes no text n/a no These are notes that the interpreter has included with the interpretation (generally, the reason for the interpretation). Notes Public notesPublic no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that public notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Notes Mgt notesMgt no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that nonpublic management notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Revisions revisions no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that revisions exist in vegPlot.Revision Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).

 

DB Table Name	note
Table	Note
Notes	This table is where notations associated with table records are stored
Description	All notes associated with plots and plot observations are stored in this table. These notes can be linked to any table, record and attribute via the noteLink table.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID NOTE_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique note. Note Link NOTELINK_ID required Integer FK no Link to the noteLink table via which a note is associated with a table, record and attribute. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Link to the party table to identify the party that contributed the note. Role ROLE_ID required Integer FK no What role was the party playing when the note was applied? Note Date noteDate no Date n/a no The date on which the note was stored in the database. Note Type noteType required varchar (20) n/a closed The type of note: Database Management, Observation Author, Database User and Internal. "Database Management" notes are those added by the management team and may be queried and viewed by the public. "Database Use" notes are those entered by the users of the database and are publicly viewable. "Internal" notes are for management to use internally and will not be broadcast. Note Text noteText required text n/a no The text of the note. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).

 

DB Table Name	noteLink
Table	Note Link
Notes	This table links a note made by a database user or manager to a specific table, record and attribute in the database.
Description	This table was developed with the goal of keeping all the notes associated with the plots in a single table rather than distributed in many tables across the database.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID NOTELINK_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique noteLink. Table Name tableName required varchar (50) n/a no Name of the table that the note is associated with. Attribute Name attributeName no varchar (50) n/a no Name of the attribute in the table (stored in tableName) that the note is associated with. Table Record tableRecord required Integer n/a no The record number (row) containing the value with which the note is associated (which translates to the primary key value for the table wherein the record is stored).

 

DB Table Name	observation
Table	Observation
Notes	This table stores plot observation results that might vary between official observation events.
Description	Observation is a child of plot in recognition of the fact that a plot may be re-sampled and that some of the environmental conditions may change between resampling events.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition OBSERVATION ID OBSERVATION_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique plot observation. Previous Observation PREVIOUSOBS_ID no Integer FK no Link to data from the previous observation of this plot. Plot PLOT_ID required Integer FK no Link to data and metadata that do not change between observations and which are stored in the plot table. Project PROJECT_ID no Integer FK no Link between an observation and the project within which the observation was made Author Observation Code authorObsCode no varchar (30) n/a no This is the code or name that the author uses to identify this plot observation event. Where a plot has only one observation, this will often equal plot.authorPlotCode. Observation Start Date obsStartDate no Date n/a no The date of the observation, or the first day if the observation spanned more than one day. Observation End Date obsEndDate no Date n/a no If the observation event spanned more than a single day, this is the last day on which observations were made. Date Accuracy dateAccuracy no varchar (30) n/a closed Estimated accuracy of the observation date. Date Entered into VegBank dateEntered no Date n/a no Date that the observation was added to VegBank Cover Method COVERMETHOD_ID no Integer FK no Link to the scale used to estimate taxon cover. The database stores estimated cover to the nearest percent, but the conversion details are recovered by reference to the specific scale employed. Cover Dispersion coverDispersion no varchar (30) n/a closed Were cover values for the total taxon list collected from one contiguous area or dispersed subplots? Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated? autoTaxonCover no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that taxonObservation.taxonCover was automatically calculated from the values of all stratumObservation.taxonStratumCover Stratum Method STRATUMMETHOD_ID no Integer FK no Link to the definitions of strata used in recording taxon-specific values of cover. Method Narrative methodNarrative no text n/a no Additional metadata helpful for understanding how the data were collected during the observation event. Taxon Observation Area taxonObservationArea no Float n/a no the total surface area (in m^2) used for cover estimates and for which a complete species list is provided. If subplots were used, this would be the total area of the subplots without interstitial space. RESERVED VALUE: -1 is used to indicate the complete list of species had no known boundaries. Stem Size Limit stemSizeLimit no Float n/a no Lower diameter limit in centimeters for inclusion of a tree in the stem count (stemCount). Stem Observation Area stemObservationArea no Float n/a no the total surface area (in m^2) observed for recording woody stem data. RESERVED VALUE: -1 means no known area. Stem Sample Method stemSampleMethod no varchar (30) n/a closed The method used to obtain basal area or tree stem data (e.g., full census, point quarter, random pairs, Bitterlich, other). Original Data Location originalData no text n/a no Location where the hard data reside and any access instructions. Effort Level effortLevel no varchar (30) n/a closed This is the effort spent making the observations as estimated by the party that submitted the data (e.g., Very thorough, Average, Hurried description). Plot Validation Level plotValidationLevel no Integer n/a closed Quality of plot as determined by an automated filter system, including values such as (1) sufficient for determining type occurrence, (2) sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision, and (3) fully compliant with recommendations. Floristic Quality floristicQuality no varchar (30) n/a closed Subjective assessment of floristic quality by the party that submitted the plot (e.g., Highest, High, High but incomplete, Moderate, Moderate and incomplete, Low). Bryophyte Quality bryophyteQuality no varchar (30) n/a closed Subjective assessment of the taxonomic quality of the bryophyte data by the party that submitted the plot (e.g., Highest, High, High but incomplete, Moderate, Moderate and incomplete, Low, Very incomplete, absent). Lichen Quality lichenQuality no varchar (30) n/a closed Subjective assessment of the taxonomic quality of the lichen data by the party that submitted the plot (e.g., Highest, High, High but incomplete, Moderate, Moderate and incomplete, Low, Very incomplete, absent). Observation Narrative observationNarrative no text n/a no Additional unstructured observations useful for understanding the ecological attributes and significance of the plot observations. Landscape Narrative landscapeNarrative no text n/a no Unstructured observations on the landscape context of the observed plot. Homogeneity homogeneity no varchar (50) n/a closed How homogeneous was the community (e.g., homogeneous, compositional trend across plot, conspicuous inclusions, irregular mosaic or pattern). Phenologic Aspect phenologicAspect no varchar (30) n/a closed Season expression of the community (e.g., typical growing season, vernal, aestival, wet, autumnal, winter, dry, irregular ephemerals present). Representativeness representativeness no varchar (255) n/a no How representative was the plot of the stand? Stand Maturity standMaturity no varchar (50) n/a closed How mature is the stand. Could be young, mature but even-aged, old-growth, etc. Successional Status successionalStatus no text n/a no Description of the assumed successional status of the plot. This description is of necessity highly subjective. Number of Taxa numberOfTaxa no Integer n/a no The number of taxa found on the plot, within the taxonObservationArea. Any species known to be found only outside of the taxonObservationArea would not be included in this number. Use 0 for this field to indicate that no taxa were found within the plot bounds. Basal Area basalArea no Float n/a no Total basal area of woody stems (in m²/ha). 0 should be used to indicate that plots have no stems. Hydrologic Regime hydrologicRegime no varchar (30) n/a closed What is the hydrologic regime, which is a reflection of frequency and duration of flooding? List is taken from Cowardin et al. 1979, 1985. Soil Moisture Regime soilMoistureRegime no varchar (30) n/a closed How moist was the soil at the sampling event? Soil Drainage soilDrainage no varchar (30) n/a closed Identifies the natural drainage conditions of the soil and refers to the frequency and duration of wet periods. The soil drainage classes are defined in terms of (1) actual moisture content (in excess of field moisture capacity) and (2) the extent of the period during which excess water is present in the plant-root zone. Soil drainage class categories conform to the FGDC Soil Geographic Data Standards, September 1997. (http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/documents/standards/soils/soil997.PDF.) Definitions are derived from Grossman et al. (1998) and Sims et al. (1997). Water Salinity waterSalinity no varchar (30) n/a closed How saline is the water, if a flooded community? Water Depth waterDepth no Float n/a no For aquatic or marine vegetation, what was the water depth in m. Shore Distance shoreDistance no Float n/a no For aquatic or marine vegetation, what was the closest distance to shore in m. Soil Depth soilDepth no Float n/a no Median depth to bedrock or permafrost in m (usually from averaging multiple probe readings). Organic Depth organicDepth no Float n/a no Depth of the surficial organic layer, where present, in centimeters. Soil Taxon SOILTAXON_ID no Integer FK no Foreign key into table of soil taxa within the USDA classification hierarchy, including Order, Suborder, Greatgroup, Subgroup, Family and Series. Soil Taxon Source soilTaxonSrc no varchar (200) n/a closed How was the soil taxon determined (e.g., field observation, map, other sources)? Percent Bedrock percentBedRock no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is exposed bedrock. Percent Rock / Gravel percentRockGravel no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is exposed rock and gravel. Percent Wood percentWood no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is wood. Percent Litter percentLitter no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is litter. Percent Bare Soil percentBareSoil no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is bare soil. Percent Water percentWater no Float n/a no Percent of surface that is water. Percent Other percentOther no Float n/a no Percent of surface that belong to an additional itemized category Name Other nameOther no varchar (30) n/a no Name of additional itemized ground cover category (e.g., beer cans). Tree Height treeHt no Float n/a no Height of the tree layer in m. Shrub Height shrubHt no Float n/a no Height of the shrub layer in m. Field Height fieldHt no Float n/a no Height of the field layer in m. Nonvascular Height nonvascularHt no Float n/a no Height of the nonvascular layer in m. Submerged Height submergedHt no Float n/a no Height of the submerged layer in m. Tree Cover treeCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the tree layer in percent. Includes tall trees (single-stemmed woody plants, generally more than 5 m in height or greater at maturity under optimal growing conditions). Very tall shrubs with tree-like form may also be included here, as may other life forms, such as lianas and epiphytes. Shrub Cover shrubCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the shrub layer in percent. Includes shrubs (multiple-stemmed woody plants, generally less than 5 m in height at maturity under optimal growing conditions) and shorter trees (saplings). As with the tree stratum, other life forms present in this stratum may also be included (however, herbaceous life forms should be excluded, as their stems often die back annually and do not have as consistent a height as woody life forms). Where dwarf-shrubs (i.e. shrubs shorter than 0.5 m) form a distinct stratum (either as part of a series of strata, as in a forest, or as the top stratum of more open vegetation, such as tundra or xeric shrublands), they should be treated as a low version of the shrub stratum (or short shrub substratum). In many vegetation types, dwarf-shrubs may simply occur as one life form component of the herb stratum. Field Cover fieldCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the field layer in percent. Also referred to as Herb stratum. Includes herbs (plants without woody stems and often dying back annually), often in association with low creeping semi-shrubs, dwarf-shrubs, vines, and non-woody brambles (such as raspberries), as well as tree or shrub seedlings. Nonvascular Cover nonvascularCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the nonvascular layer in percent. Also referred to as moss, bryoid, or ground stratum. Defined entirely by mosses, lichens, liverworts, and alga. Ground-creeping vines, prostrate shrubs and herbs should be treated in the herb stratum. Where herbs are entirely absent, it is still possible to recognize this stratum if other very low woody or semi-woody life forms are present. Floating Cover floatingCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the floating layer in percent. Includes rooted or drifting plants that float on the water surface (e.g., duckweed, water-lily). Submerged Cover submergedCover no Float n/a no Total cover of the submerged layer in percent. Includes rooted or drifting plants that by-and-large remain submerged in the water column or on the aquatic bottom (e.g., pondweed). The focus is on the overall strata arrangement of these aquatic plants. Note that emergent plants life forms in a wetland should be placed in above water strata (e.g., cattail or sedges would be placed in the herb stratum, whereas the duckweed would be in the floating aquatic stratum). Dominant Stratum dominantStratum no varchar (40) n/a closed Which of the six standard strata is dominant? Growthform1 Type growthform1Type no varchar (40) n/a closed The predominant growth form? Growthform2 Type growthform2Type no varchar (40) n/a closed The second-most predominant growthform? Growthform3 Type growthform3Type no varchar (40) n/a closed The third-most predominant growthform Growthform1 Cover growthform1Cover no Float n/a no Total cover of the predominant growthform? Growthform2 Cover growthform2Cover no Float n/a no Total cover of the second-most predominant growthform? Growthform3 Cover growthform3Cover no Float n/a no Total cover of the third-most predominant growthform? Total Cover totalCover no Float n/a no The total cover, in percent, of all vegetation on the plot. Observation Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number). Notes Public notesPublic no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that public notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Notes Mgt notesMgt no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that nonpublic management notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Revisions revisions no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that revisions exist in vegPlot.Revision

 

DB Table Name	observationContributor
Table	Observation Contributor
Notes	This table stores information about which parties contributed to specific plot observation events.
Description	This table serves as an intersection that links a party with a specific plot observation event. Note that there is no plotContributor table because all contributions take place at a particular observation, such as the first observation.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID OBSERVATIONCONTRIBUTOR_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique contribution to an observation event. Observation OBSERVATION_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key pointing to a given plot observation event to which the contribution was made. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key pointing to the specific party that made the contribution. Role ROLE_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the role that the party had in the plot observation (e.g., PI, contact, research advisor, field assistant, taxonomist, owner, guide, etc.). Contribution Date contributionDate no Date n/a no The date of the specific contribution, which will generally be within the time span of the plot observation event defined by the obsStartDate and obsStopDate

 

DB Table Name	observationSynonym
Table	Observation Synonym
Notes	This table stores opinions as to whether one observation record is a synonym of another owing to double entry into the database.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID OBSERVATIONSYNONYM_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique interpretation of an observation as a synonym. Synonym Observation synonymObservation_ID required Integer FK no Link to the observation table identifying which observation is being reduced to synonymy. Primary Observation primaryObservation_ID required Integer FK no Link to the observation table identifying which observation is the preferred synonym for the observation being reduced to synonym. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key pointing to the specific party that made the reduction to synonym. Role ROLE_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the role that the party had in the plot synonomization (e.g., plot author, data manager, publication author, researcher, generic user, etc.). Start Date classStartDate required Date n/a no Start date for the synonymization event. Stop Date classStopDate no Date n/a no Stop date for the synonymization event. Synonym Comment synonymComment no text n/a no Notes about the reason for the synonymization. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).