You can add a Data Element description in a Meta Entity,
Meta Entity Type, or Meta Data Aggregate. When you insert a Data Element
description line in the composition tree for the current entity, you
must then define its characteristics in the section that opens in
the Composition tab. Each description line
corresponds to a Data Element (a field) included in the description
of a User Entity. For each Data Element, you must indicate its format,
values, and intervals.
Component Usage
- Minimum Cardinality
- Enter a numeric value to indicate a minimum cardinality. The default
value is 0 for not mandatory.
- Maximum Cardinality
- Enter a numeric value to indicate a maximum cardinality. The default
value is n. It means that it is unbounded.
These values indicate the minimum and maximum, or
equal number of occurrences possible in a User Entity for this description.
Checks
are set on the values that are entered in these fields. For example,
if you define a minimum cardinality that is higher than the maximum
cardinality, a tooltip indicates the error. Modify the cardinality.
Otherwise, you can find errors in your User Entities.
- Value Control
- This option is not available for a Data Aggregate description.
It is displayed in the definition of Data Element descriptions and Pac
Data Elements. If you check this option, only the values
that are entered in the Allowed values table,
or the Intervals table are selected.
Data Element Description
- Name
- Enter the name of the Data Element description.
- Label
- Enter a label for the Data Element description.
- Type
- In this field, select the format of the Data Element description.
Indicate the type, or format of the data that is meant to be entered,
or called for this Data Element field in the User Entity.
Table 1. Types
of formatType |
Comments |
Date type |
The date format is based on the SimpleDateFormat Java
class. Date and time formats are specified by date and time pattern
strings. The cardinality of the description must be (0-n). Enter a
date and time format in the Format . Click
the following link to find date and time patterns . |
Decimal type |
Enter a decimal value in the Initial
value field (2.0 for example).
Then, enter a minimum and maximum decimal value in the Data
Element description Detail section. The Data Element description
must be contained between these two values in the User Entity. |
Float type |
Enter a value with a float Java format in Initial
value (10e12 for example). Select
the type of float in the Capacity field. |
Integer type |
Enter an integer value in the Initial
value field. Then, enter a minimum and maximum integer
value in the Data Element description Detail section.
The data entered for this Data Element in the User Entity has a value
between these two defined values. |
String type |
Enter alphanumeric characters in Initial
value. You can enter the optional fields associated with
the String type choice: Initial value, Maximum
length, and Case. |
Byte type |
Enter a byte value in Initial value.
Enter a Maximum length in the Data
Element description Detail section |
Time Stamp type |
Enter a date with a Java stamp format as initial
value. It consists in a series of digits. |
Reference type |
The reference type is used to specify a relation
between a User Entity and another, or several entities. You must select
the linked entity. |
- Initial Value
- This field is available for all types of format but it is dimmed
for the Reference type. Enter a value. It is the initial value that
the User Entity contains.
- Data Element Description Detail
- The content of this section depends on the type of format, or
type of data that is selected in the former Type field
in the Data Element description section.
- Type Definition
- Format
- This field shows up when you select a Date type.
The date format is based on the SimpleDateFormat Java
class. Date and time formats are specified by date and time pattern
strings.
Example: Date and time format: yyyyMMdd
G at HH:mm:ss z.
The format
applies automatically to the specified possible values.
- Capacity
- This field is displayed when you select a Float type.
It corresponds to the capacity of the float value. It can be a simple
float Java value, or a double float Java value.
- Minimum value
- This field is displayed when you select a type Decimal, Integer,
or Time Stamp. Enter a minimum value for the
integer, decimal, or time stamp data in a User Entity.
- Maximum value
- This field is displayed when you select a type Decimal, Integer,
or Time Stamp. Enter a maximum value for the
integer, decimal, or time stamp data in a User Entity.
- Maximum length
- This field is displayed when you select a String type,
or Byte type. Enter a maximum value for the
data that is entered in the User Entity. The maximum for a byte type
is one million bytes. You are advised against overloading the memory.
The default value is 10000 for a byte string
type. For a string type, it is -1, which means
an unlimited number of characters.
- Case
- This field is displayed when you select a type String.
Select one of the options to have the content of the data entered
in the User Entity in uppercase or lowercase.
- Allowed Values
- You can define authorized values for the current Data Element
description. If no value has ever been assigned to the current Data
Element description, the list is empty. If it is not empty, the authorized
values and their labels are displayed. Click + to
add a line in the table. To modify any of the listed values, overwrite
it. To do so, click it and replace the value with a new one. Each
value in the table is identified with
. Click − to
remove a line from the table. You can reorder the lines in the table
with the direction buttons.
- Intervals
- Click + to add a
line. In
the fields that are displayed, you can enter a minimum value and a
maximum value. You can also, indicate if the minimum or maximum value
must be included. You can specify a label. The interval that you enter
here must conform to the length and the class type that are defined
for the Data Element description.
When the Data Element takes
on a range of values, the range must be described as two values between
parentheses, separated by a comma and a space. Inverted square brackets
indicate that the value is excluded from the range.
Example: [E(), Z()] :
from E inclusive to Z inclusive, or ]E(), Z()[ :
from E exclusive to Z exclusive, or ]E(), Z()] :
from E exclusive to Z inclusive, or the reverse. When the fields are
completed, click the line in the table to refresh.
- Relation type
- The Relation type field is displayed in the Data Element description
detail pane when you select a Reference type.
It contains two tables. You can either check the All types option,
to indicate that the relation is made with all entity types, or select
one or more entity types. If you select the User Entity type,
click + to add the Meta Entity it is related
to, in the table.
Use the Constraint check
box to control the type of error message in the User Entities of this
Meta Entity if a relation targets an undefined instance. This box
is checked by default. By default, the User Entities that are created
from the Meta Entity require the existence of the instance that is
the target of the relation. If an undefined instance is entered as
the value of a field in the User Entity, an error message will be
displayed on the line. If the box is not checked, only a warning will
be displayed on the line in the User Entity.