1 [computing] An alternative name specified for fields, tables, files, or datasets that is more descriptive and user-friendly than the actual name. On computer networks, a single e-mail alias may refer to a group of e-mail addresses.
2 [ESRI software] In geoprocessing, an alternate name for a toolbox. Toolbox aliases can be used to avoid confusion when working with tools with the same name that are stored in different toolboxes. For example, tools in the Analysis Tools toolbox can be differentiated from similar tools in the Spatial Analyst Tools toolbox by adding “_analysis” to their names at the command line, as in “clip_analysis.”