SYMPTOM:
When trying to access an attribute or run a report with the one attribute in question, users may see this error:

SQLEngine got an Exception from DCF: ?? Can not find appropriate column reference
Error in Process method of Component: SQLEngineServer, Project xxx, Job 1557, Error Code = -2147212800.
Users will still see this error even after updating schema.
CAUSE:
When troubleshooting the attribute in question, we find that one of its parent attributes gets this error message:

No expressions were found for the form "xxx", please define at least one before continuing.
ACTION:
Modify the parent attribute in question and add an expression. For some reason, the expression had been deleted in the parent attribute, so by putting in an expression will resolve both error messages.