what are the absolute minimum fields needed for an entity/table to function?

[Mark G.]

Whenever I set up a new entity/table using the minimal "Base" template, I get a "name" and "description" field (see screenshot) that I don't really need ... but I cannot delete them. Are these fields absolutely necessary?

[yuri]

You can set a field as 'disabled'. But it wouldn't recommend to disable the 'name' field as it's used for link fields.

[Mark G.]

Thanks, Yuri.

So, am I correct in thinking that the name field should always be re-labeled and used to hold the "key" piece of information for any table/entity? ...

e.g. for a lookup table of US ZIP (postal) codes ... the ZIP code?
e.g. for a lookup table of inventory/stock items ... the item's SKU number?

[yuri]

Yes. Changing the label is a good idea. It's actual for entities created via Entity Manager. If you create entities manually you can get away w/o the 'name' field.

[Mark G.]

It appears that you cannot actually create an entity manually. You have to use/set the "Type" field (Base, Base Plus, etc.)
Therefore, the "name" field will always be present and cannot be removed.

[yuri]

Manually is when writing metadata and creating classes manually.