Define choice column
Choice columns provide an exact list of values that people can choose. Choice columns help streamline new record creation and standardize data entry, and they're best suited for a small set of standard short terms rather than a long list of complex entries. You shouldn't use choices when the column usually contains unique entries that aren't easily standardized.
For example, consider the use of choice on a sales tracking page. A choice is well-suited to capture the stage of a sales lead if you have a short list of possible sales stages. On the other hand, choice isn't a good option when you're entering a street name because, likely, there could be hundreds or thousands of street names in nearly any city.
Tip
Make sure that you monitor the quality of data when using a choice. As a best practice, check the data that you collect with a choice to ensure that users are not disproportionately using the default value rather than selecting the proper option within the choice. You might find that users accept the default so that they can enter data in the page without much thought. Determine what incentive users have to enter high quality data rather than the first entry or default in a choice, and avoid terms like "other" because options like these do not provide meaningful data.
When used properly and closely managed, choice helps ensure consistent data entry and improves the quality and usefulness of the data that you collect. A choice column can help create meaningful reports and identify trends and clusters of data. Finally, you can make columns of type choice business required when they're created or edited.