| Context | Data Matrix | Row | Column |
| Statistics | dataset | observation | variable |
| Database | table | record | field |
| Social science | dataset | observation, case | variable |
| Environmental science | measurements | sample | measurement |
| Epidemiology | case records | case | measurement |
| GIS (e.g. ArcGIS) | attribute table | feature | attribute |
| Time series | time series | sample time | measurement |