Data attribute details

You can define the following properties on an attribute:

<data-structure name="Account number" code="AccountNumber">
        <attribute name="Prefix" code="prefix" status="optional" type="integer"
                collection="false" length="6" description="Account number prefix." />
        <attribute name="Number" code="number" status="mandatory" type="integer"
                length="10" description="The account number itself." />
</data-structure>

Attributes of attribute element:

Name Description
name Name of the attribute, eg. "Available balance".
code Code of the attribute, eg. "availableBalance".  
If the data structure corresponds to a future entity/table of the system, you may consider using the proposed name of the entity attribute/table column as the code.
status Status of the attribute. A choice described below.
type Data type of the attribute. A choice described below or a code of a data structure (representing a relation between data structures, explained later).
collection A boolean to mark collection-typed attributes.
length Length of the attribute.
description Description of the attribute.

Attribute status values:

Value Description
display-only D/O A non-editable/disabled field on a user interface form.  
Example: Available account balance field on Account details form.
optional O Optional attribute. Value is not required.  
Example: Middle name attribute of Client details data structure.
conditional C Conditional attribute. Value may or may not be required depending on a condition, which should be described in the attribute description.  
Example: Either lastName or firstName is required. None is mandatory neither optional per se, but each may become either mandatory or optional, depending on a condition: they are conditional.
mandatory M Mandatory attribute. Value is required.  
Example: Last name attribute of Client details data structure.
unique U A mandatory attribute whose value must be unique within all instances of the data structure.  
If multiple attributes are marked as unique, the combination of them must be unique.  
Example: SSN attribute of User details data structure.
natural-key NK A unique attribute whose value serves as an identifier of an instance of the data structure.  
If multiple attributes are marked as natural key, the combination of them constitutes the key.  
Example: Login name attribute of User details data structure.
primary-key PK Primary key attribute of a persistent entity.  
Example: User id attribute of User details data structure.

Attribute type values:

Value Description
string Character string, text. Example: "hello".
integer Integer number. Example: "123".
float Floating point number. Example: "345.654".
decimal Decimal number. Example: "345.654".
boolean Boolean. Example: "true".
date Date. Example: "2010-11-22".
time Time. Example: "12:34".
date-time Date and time. Example: "2010-11-22 12:34".
timestamp Timestamp. Example: "2010-11-22 12:34:58.123".
binary Binary data/large object.
code of a data structure A relation to a data structure.

 

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