A collaboration database service may allow users to create, edit, and share collaborative content on custom databases, and may also integrate and interoperate with various productivity applications. For example, a collaboration database engine of the service may detect creation or modification of a table through an application associated with the service. In response to a request to add a choice type column to the table, the engine may automatically select, provide, and enable modification of a set of symbols and associated text values corresponding to choices. The engine may then provide the choice type column for display within the table such that each cell of the choice type column is automatically and/or manually populated with at least one of the choices. The choice may be represented by a symbol and/or associated text value from the modified set of symbols and associated text values corresponding to the choice.