In what scenario would you use a relate to associate a feature class of apartment buildings with a table of tenant information?

Using a relate to associate a feature class of apartment buildings with a table of tenant information is most appropriate when each building has multiple tenants. This scenario aligns perfectly with a many-to-one relationship, where a single feature (the building) can be connected to multiple records in the related table (tenants).

When implementing this relationship, the relate allows the attributes of the tenants to be linked to the building they occupy without duplicating information. This approach enhances data organization and allows for efficient querying, as users can easily access tenant information associated with a specific building. It also maintains the integrity of both datasets, as any changes to tenant information can be managed independently of the building data.

In contrast, if a single tenant occupied multiple buildings, or if tenants and buildings had a one-to-one relationship, a different database structure would be more appropriate, potentially requiring separate relationships or a different way to model the data. Similarly, if each tenant could be linked to multiple buildings with distinct attributes, a more complex relationship structure would be necessary, making the use of relates less suitable. Thus, the many-to-one relationship scenario clearly illustrates why a relate is best employed when each building has multiple tenants.