Attribute Sets & Attributes

EAV attributes in Magento are grouped into attribute sets. Each instance of an EAV entity is connected to an attribute set.

eav_attribute_set Table

All attribute sets are stored in the eav_attribute_set table.

mysql> SELECT * FROM eav_attribute_set;
+------------------+----------------+--------------------+------------+
| attribute_set_id | entity_type_id | attribute_set_name | sort_order |
+------------------+----------------+--------------------+------------+
| 1                | 1              | Default            | 2          |
| 2                | 2              | Default            | 2          |
| 3                | 3              | Default            | 1          |
| 4                | 4              | Default            | 1          |
| 5                | 5              | Default            | 1          |
| 6                | 6              | Default            | 1          |
| 7                | 7              | Default            | 1          |
| 8                | 8              | Default            | 1          |
| 9                | 4              | Top                | 0          |
| 10               | 4              | Bottom             | 0          |
| 11               | 4              | Gear               | 0          |
| 12               | 4              | Sprite Stasis Ball | 0          |
+------------------+----------------+--------------------+------------+

In addition to attribute sets, Magento uses attribute groups for grouping attributes. Attribute groups are used on form pages to create accordions (like Product Details, Images, Content, etc.).

Groups are stored in the eav_attribute_group table. Each group is connected to one parent attribute set.

eav_entity_attribute Table

The association between attributes, entities, and groups is stored in the eav_entity_attribute table.

mysql> SELECT * FROM eav_entity_attribute WHERE entity_type_id=4 LIMIT 10;
+---------------------+----------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------+------------+
| entity_attribute_id | entity_type_id | attribute_set_id | attribute_group_id | attribute_id | sort_order |
+---------------------+----------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------+------------+
| 73                  | 4              | 4                | 7                  | 73           | 10         |
| 74                  | 4              | 4                | 7                  | 74           | 20         |
| 75                  | 4              | 4                | 13                 | 75           | 110        |
| 76                  | 4              | 4                | 13                 | 76           | 100        |
| 77                  | 4              | 4                | 7                  | 77           | 30         |
+---------------------+----------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------+------------+

Attribute sets management can be done in two ways:

1. Admin Panel: Stores → Attributes → Attribute Set
2. Programmatically: Using code/data patches

<?php
namespace Vendor\Module\Setup\Patch\Data;

use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetup;
use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetupFactory;
use Magento\Framework\Setup\Patch\DataPatchInterface;
use Magento\Eav\Model\Entity\Attribute\SetFactory as AttributeSetFactory;
use Magento\Catalog\Model\Product;

class CreateCustomAttributeSet implements DataPatchInterface
{
    private $eavSetupFactory;
    private $attributeSetFactory;
    
    public function __construct(
        EavSetupFactory $eavSetupFactory,
        AttributeSetFactory $attributeSetFactory
    ) {
        $this->eavSetupFactory = $eavSetupFactory;
        $this->attributeSetFactory = $attributeSetFactory;
    }
    
    public function apply()
    {
        $eavSetup = $this->eavSetupFactory->create();
        $attributeSet = $this->attributeSetFactory->create();
        
        $entityTypeId = $eavSetup->getEntityTypeId(Product::ENTITY);
        
        // Get the default attribute set ID to use as skeleton
        $defaultSetId = $eavSetup->getDefaultAttributeSetId($entityTypeId);
        
        // Create new attribute set
        $attributeSet->setData([
            'attribute_set_name' => 'Custom Product Set',
            'entity_type_id' => $entityTypeId,
            'sort_order' => 100,
        ]);
        
        $attributeSet->validate();
        $attributeSet->save();
        
        // Copy attributes from default set (skeleton)
        $attributeSet->initFromSkeleton($defaultSetId);
        $attributeSet->save();
        
        return $this;
    }
    
    public static function getDependencies()
    {
        return [];
    }
    
    public function getAliases()
    {
        return [];
    }
}

Attributes are a powerful feature in Magento. What makes them so powerful is that they go far beyond mere elements of data architecture. Attributes in Magento are functional - you can use them to change behavior of an object, not just add properties.

Use EAV Attributes When:

• ✅ Adding a simple scalar value (text, number, date) to products, categories, or customers
• ✅ You need automatic save/load functionality
• ✅ You need scope support (different values for website/store view)
• ✅ You want the attribute to appear in admin grids and forms automatically
• ✅ You need the attribute available in WebAPI as custom attributes
• ✅ You want to implement functionality when the attribute changes

Use Extension Attributes When:

• ✅ Extending entities with complex data types (objects, arrays)
• ✅ You need to store data in custom tables
• ✅ Data comes from external sources (files, APIs)
• ✅ You need fine control over data storage and retrieval
• ✅ Extending non-EAV entities or custom entities
• ✅ You don't need scope support

EAV attributes require a DataPatch to create them programmatically.

Example: Product Attribute DataPatch

<?php
namespace Vendor\Module\Setup\Patch\Data;

use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetup;
use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetupFactory;
use Magento\Framework\Setup\Patch\DataPatchInterface;

class AddWarrantyAttribute implements DataPatchInterface
{
    private $eavSetupFactory;
    
    public function __construct(EavSetupFactory $eavSetupFactory)
    {
        $this->eavSetupFactory = $eavSetupFactory;
    }
    
    public function apply()
    {
        $eavSetup = $this->eavSetupFactory->create();
        
        $eavSetup->addAttribute(
            \Magento\Catalog\Model\Product::ENTITY,
            'warranty_period',
            [
                'type' => 'int',
                'label' => 'Warranty Period (months)',
                'input' => 'text',
                'required' => false,
                'sort_order' => 100,
                'global' => \Magento\Eav\Model\Entity\Attribute\ScopedAttributeInterface::SCOPE_STORE,
                'group' => 'General',
                'is_used_in_grid' => true,
                'is_visible_in_grid' => false,
                'is_filterable_in_grid' => true,
            ]
        );
        
        return $this;
    }
    
    public static function getDependencies()
    {
        return [];
    }
    
    public function getAliases()
    {
        return [];
    }
}

Extension attributes require an entry in etc/extension_attributes.xml file.

Example: Adding Extension Attribute to Product

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:Api/etc/extension_attributes.xsd">
    <extension_attributes for="Magento\Catalog\Api\Data\ProductInterface">
        <attribute code="related_blog_posts" type="Vendor\Module\Api\Data\BlogPostInterface[]" />
    </extension_attributes>
</config>

• Add Product Attributes
• EAV and Extension Attributes
• Adding Extension Attributes to Entity
• Attribute Sets (Admin Panel)