A database uses foreign keys from code tables for column values.

Foreign keys from code tables are used to enforce referential integrity and standardize values, which is a hallmark of reference data. The DAMA-DMBOK defines reference data as “data used to categorize or classify other data, typically maintained in code tables or lookup tables, and often used to ensure consistency across systems” (DMBOK2, Chapter 12: Reference and Master Data, p. 489). Code tables store standardized values (e.g., country codes, status codes) that are referenced by foreign keys in other tables to maintain consistency and data quality.

In contrast, master data (A) refers to core business entities like customers or products, event data (B) captures specific occurrences, star schema data (D) is a data warehousing structure, and temporal data (E) involves time-based versioning. The use of foreign keys from code tables specifically aligns with reference data management.